LAS CRUCES — Whatever the breaking news, the most vivid, standout moments of 2007 for me were spiritual and artistic, and often both.
There were talks with hundreds of artists, and, for our new collectors series, with discerning souls who collect everything from mice and military memorabilia to lutes, butterflies and dollhouses.
There was a spring trek through Tularosa, with former Las Cruces Jean McDonnell, who showed me a new cultural center, and how one of my favorite little communities is on track to become one of the world’s leading centers of Tibetan culture and healing traditions.
There was an afternoon at the new Temple Beth-El, seeing the just-installed Ark of the Covenant beautifully crafted by Melvin Kirschner and his son Bob and painted by Debbie Levy.
I discussed Geronimo’s life and legacy with his descendant, Harlyn Geronimo.
There was a bright fall day, wandering through what is reportedly North America’s oldest continuously inhabited community, Acoma Sky City, with my soulmate Dr. Roger and a friendly dog, and a friendly guide, Waya Gary Keene, who seemed familiar. It wasn’t until I got to the Acoma cultural center and saw his art that I remembered he’d been artist of the week years ago, after I met him at an NMSU powwow.
Doc Severinsen was another familiar face...we’d last met years ago in Palm Beach, when I was promoting his concert for a benefit for the Palm Beach County Arts Council. He was charming and fit as ever. He didn’t seem to miss a beat or a breath, bounding up and down the aisles at Pan Am, for high-energy numbers with Mariachi Cobre and the Las Cruces Symphony.
I keep telling amigos that if you stay in one special place long enough, much of the rest of the world will come by. Who would think Doc would choose Las Cruces for his farewell performance with a symphony, or that I would end the year hanging out on the Downtown Mall waiting for Charlese Theron, who, with fellow Oscar actress Kim Basinger, was in town to film a major motion picture?
Remarkable things seem almost routine in synchonicity city. When I peered into the pool blue, old soul eyes of “The Burning Plain” director-screenwriter Guillermo Arriago, and he told me he loves the Organ mountains and wants to buy a house here, I wasn’t surprised. He won’t, of course, be our first Oscar-nominated screenwriter: Mark Medoff settled in many decades ago and has gone on to make several films and take two plays born here to Broadway (his first won a Tony Award).
Another great moment in theater came with the premier of Bob Diven’s fun and moving dinosaur musical “Extinction.” It was nice to see what has happened in the decade I’ve been watching Isaac Quiroga and Jessie Medoff Bunchman. They’ve grown into amazing talents. So has Bob. I enjoyed a metaphysical morning with him, sitting on a bale of hay before RenFaire opened, discussing where we came from, why we’re here and where we’re going.
Later, we joined several other Las Crucens for NMSU’s Great Conversations dinner and benefit, which those who attended hope will be an annual event. I left feeling blessed, because I live in a city where people love great conversations, and my vocation allows me (in fact, requires me) to have hundreds and sometimes thousands of great conversations every year.
Still, sometimes, a dance or a meatball or a tamale is worth a thousand words. I love the Tortugas pilgrimage, and the day of dancing that follows and was happy to share it with dear amigos, newlywed Santa Fe childhood sweethearts reunited. Thanks to David Fierro, who snuck me “backstage,” I also finally managed to overcome deadlines and enjoy my first official Guadalupe fiesta albondigas, plucked from a pot of steaming meatballs...like the fiesta itself, a sagey, spicy, spiritual experience.
So was my first Tamalada. I planned to just dash in and cover the workshop at La Cocina Restaurant, but sponsors, members of Grijalva family and Denise Chavez of the Border Book Fest Foundation, insisted I get hands-on experience, and I built at least 60 veggie, chicken and green chile and desert tamales. I am now a licensed Tamalera and I have the certificate to prove it. Nice to know I have another career to fall back on, if journalism pales.
But events are popping there, too. Our Web site reached a monthly peak of 1,300,000 visits. I started a blog and embraced our future as mojos: mobile journalists transcending print media to download audio and video online.
And speaking of new generations, art and spirituality again combined for one of my most moving personal moment of ‘07, sitting on the back patio watching son Ry and grandson Alex composing and playing duets on their guitars as the sun rose over the mysterious Organs, mood ring of our querencia.
I thought of all the conversations I’ve had with newcomers who said they saw our Shangri-la mountains and knew this was the place, and remembered talks with spiritual, artistic souls before I decided to move here, who concluded that Las Cruces is the place where great souls of the planet have come to circle their wagons, pitch their tents and make their last American stand, to preserve and rekindle what is best and brightest of la raza cosmica in portentous times.
May you find creative adventures in our querencia in 2008.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Friday, December 28, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Sing-along today!
Handel’s Messiah Sing-a-long
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
5005 Love Road (off Country Club Road)
Saturday, December 22, 7:00pm
Handel’s Messiah in Performance
A last-minute Messiah Sing-along op
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
5005 Love Road (off Country Club Road)
Sunday, December 23, 10:00am
What is a Sing-a-long?
Audience members "sing-a-long" with the choir, while sitting in the audience
Audience members bring their own score of the Messiah or, use the music supplied at the door
Audience members are divided into sections - soprano, alto, tenor, bass
Director conducts audience and orchestra
Solo arias are performed by professional soloists
Audience members not wanting to sing, sit at the back of the sanctuary to listen
Everyone is invited to sing - come as you are
If you have never sung the Messiah, now is your chance
No entrance fee
***If you would like to rehearse with the choir and orchestra before the sing-a-long, the rehearsal with orchestra will be Saturday, December 22, at 2pm at St. Mark's UMC.
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
5005 Love Road (off Country Club Road)
Saturday, December 22, 7:00pm
Handel’s Messiah in Performance
A last-minute Messiah Sing-along op
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
5005 Love Road (off Country Club Road)
Sunday, December 23, 10:00am
What is a Sing-a-long?
Audience members "sing-a-long" with the choir, while sitting in the audience
Audience members bring their own score of the Messiah or, use the music supplied at the door
Audience members are divided into sections - soprano, alto, tenor, bass
Director conducts audience and orchestra
Solo arias are performed by professional soloists
Audience members not wanting to sing, sit at the back of the sanctuary to listen
Everyone is invited to sing - come as you are
If you have never sung the Messiah, now is your chance
No entrance fee
***If you would like to rehearse with the choir and orchestra before the sing-a-long, the rehearsal with orchestra will be Saturday, December 22, at 2pm at St. Mark's UMC.
Grinchiness is impossible in Las Cruces
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — It was a spot of color at the edge of the desert. Some anonymous merry soul had put three bright red velvet bows on a mesquite bush.
Every now and again, I’m almost daunted by some Scrooge or Grinch…usually from another part of the world, who starts trash talking about holiday excesses.
Then, when I’m heading to the wilderness to try to walk off the latest overload of commercial overkill and psychic projectile holiday depression, I come across a spontaneous manifestation of pure artistic cheer and goodwill toward men…and presumably roadrunners, quail, jackrabbits and other desert critters.
I’m continually surprised by creative expressions of holiday spirit in Las Cruces.
By now, I’m used to seeing chile pepper santas and angels on car antennas, and vintage trucks sporting wreaths and ribbons on their front grills.
But it can take more than a jolly jalapeño St. Nick to offset the impact of braving the malls to talk to people about Black Friday, and the other potentially grim holiday assignments that can further jade already cynical and less-than-merry newsroom staffs.
But here, too, are surprises. I reluctantly accost beleaguered parents, making lists and checking them twice while juggling a baby and a toddler hyped on sugarplums and unrealistic Santa expectations.
The overextended parents do not cut me dead, as they have been known to do in less kind, gentle — and sometimes downright mean — metropolises. No. They take time to chat with me and even wish me a Merry Christmas.
It’s hard to maintain Grinchiness in Las Cruces.
In fact, even my hardened colleagues exhibit softer sides during this magical time of year.
There’s usually a group collection of some kind for a family in need, and boxes of toys show up in a corner of the newsroom.
Our publisher David McClain ambles through the building, distributing seasonal posies. He gracefully contains his military vet’s appraisal of our less-than-orderly newsroom and cheerfully plops the bright red poinsettias on top of the paper piles, if he can’t find a clear square-foot on our cluttered desks.
New SunLife editor Richard Coltharp shows up with red and green Converse All-Star high-tops laced with bells that jingle jangle jingle, as he goes, roaming merrily along....
Snack alerts are e-mailed. Cookies and traditional favorites are baked and proffered, generating familiar memories for those of us who can’t get to our childhood homes, or the homes of our children and grandchildren, for the holidays.
Reporters occasionally even admit to being touched by stories of compassionate souls or the tragedies and accidents, the sudden deaths and mindless violence that seems, alas, to also have become too-familiar American holiday traditions at this time of year.
The weather gets colder and skins get thinner.
But the yuletide seems to bring out the deeply weird and wacky side of journalists, too.
A tiny stocking shows up, hung with care a few inches off the floor in an editor’s cubicle. It’s for the newsroom mouse.
My contribution is the newsroom Christmas tree, traditionally, for the last decade, a live potted specimen that exhibits Charlie Brown rustic form and spirit, and decorations to match. My colleagues contribute something from their desks, on loan to ornament the tree.
This year’s version, installed just after Thanksgiving, is already shedding: needles, sunglasses and a Barack Obama sticker came drifting down today. Otherwise, it’s a little more polished and artistic than usual. It is crowned with a Star of David ornament, fashioned from Norm Dettlaff’s page one photo of an adorable Hanukkah baby. Jason Gibbs created a paper clip garland. There are some actual Christmas tree ornaments and candy canes, unusually orthodox for our newsroom tree, but several repurposed desk collectibles add to the eclectic spirit. There’s a golden Homer Simpson who shouts “Yahoo” when he falls with another shedding of needles, and assorted frogs, a lizard, a tiny Lucha Libre action figure, a Candy Cane Magic Lottery ticket (prescratched, not a winner, or course) and a tattered cartoon that informs us that the leading cause of fear in society today is 24-hour news.
But there’s nothing to fear here. We’ve got the spirit.
We hope you do, too. Merry Christmas.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — It was a spot of color at the edge of the desert. Some anonymous merry soul had put three bright red velvet bows on a mesquite bush.
Every now and again, I’m almost daunted by some Scrooge or Grinch…usually from another part of the world, who starts trash talking about holiday excesses.
Then, when I’m heading to the wilderness to try to walk off the latest overload of commercial overkill and psychic projectile holiday depression, I come across a spontaneous manifestation of pure artistic cheer and goodwill toward men…and presumably roadrunners, quail, jackrabbits and other desert critters.
I’m continually surprised by creative expressions of holiday spirit in Las Cruces.
By now, I’m used to seeing chile pepper santas and angels on car antennas, and vintage trucks sporting wreaths and ribbons on their front grills.
But it can take more than a jolly jalapeño St. Nick to offset the impact of braving the malls to talk to people about Black Friday, and the other potentially grim holiday assignments that can further jade already cynical and less-than-merry newsroom staffs.
But here, too, are surprises. I reluctantly accost beleaguered parents, making lists and checking them twice while juggling a baby and a toddler hyped on sugarplums and unrealistic Santa expectations.
The overextended parents do not cut me dead, as they have been known to do in less kind, gentle — and sometimes downright mean — metropolises. No. They take time to chat with me and even wish me a Merry Christmas.
It’s hard to maintain Grinchiness in Las Cruces.
In fact, even my hardened colleagues exhibit softer sides during this magical time of year.
There’s usually a group collection of some kind for a family in need, and boxes of toys show up in a corner of the newsroom.
Our publisher David McClain ambles through the building, distributing seasonal posies. He gracefully contains his military vet’s appraisal of our less-than-orderly newsroom and cheerfully plops the bright red poinsettias on top of the paper piles, if he can’t find a clear square-foot on our cluttered desks.
New SunLife editor Richard Coltharp shows up with red and green Converse All-Star high-tops laced with bells that jingle jangle jingle, as he goes, roaming merrily along....
Snack alerts are e-mailed. Cookies and traditional favorites are baked and proffered, generating familiar memories for those of us who can’t get to our childhood homes, or the homes of our children and grandchildren, for the holidays.
Reporters occasionally even admit to being touched by stories of compassionate souls or the tragedies and accidents, the sudden deaths and mindless violence that seems, alas, to also have become too-familiar American holiday traditions at this time of year.
The weather gets colder and skins get thinner.
But the yuletide seems to bring out the deeply weird and wacky side of journalists, too.
A tiny stocking shows up, hung with care a few inches off the floor in an editor’s cubicle. It’s for the newsroom mouse.
My contribution is the newsroom Christmas tree, traditionally, for the last decade, a live potted specimen that exhibits Charlie Brown rustic form and spirit, and decorations to match. My colleagues contribute something from their desks, on loan to ornament the tree.
This year’s version, installed just after Thanksgiving, is already shedding: needles, sunglasses and a Barack Obama sticker came drifting down today. Otherwise, it’s a little more polished and artistic than usual. It is crowned with a Star of David ornament, fashioned from Norm Dettlaff’s page one photo of an adorable Hanukkah baby. Jason Gibbs created a paper clip garland. There are some actual Christmas tree ornaments and candy canes, unusually orthodox for our newsroom tree, but several repurposed desk collectibles add to the eclectic spirit. There’s a golden Homer Simpson who shouts “Yahoo” when he falls with another shedding of needles, and assorted frogs, a lizard, a tiny Lucha Libre action figure, a Candy Cane Magic Lottery ticket (prescratched, not a winner, or course) and a tattered cartoon that informs us that the leading cause of fear in society today is 24-hour news.
But there’s nothing to fear here. We’ve got the spirit.
We hope you do, too. Merry Christmas.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Thursday, December 13, 2007
GOOD TO GO: Best Bets This Weekend
The Cultural Center de Mesilla, home of the Border Book Festival Foundation, will host a holiday open house with Abuelita hot chocolate, cake, homemade biscochos and a Nacimiento display, composed of traditional clay figures from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at 2231-A Calle de Parian, next to the Mesilla Post Office. Many items, including signed books and collectables, will be for sale. Regular center hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. For info: (575) 523-3988.
Mariachi Concert at Court Youth Center
The 7th annual holiday Herencia de Mariachi Holiday Concert begins at 6 p.m. Saturday at Court Youth Center, 402 W. Court Ave. Sponsored by Mariachi Espuelas de Plata, musicians in the after school mariachi program at the Court Youth Center, the concert will feature area youth involved in mariachi music and ballet folklórico. Performers will include Mariachi Espuelas de Cobre, Mariachi Atzcalitlan from La Academia Dolores Huerta, Gadsden Middle School Danza group, 6-year-old vocalist Greg Rocha, Mariachi Real de Chihuahua and Mariachi Espuelas de Plata and Hispanic comedy skits. Tickets, at $12 or $150 for sponsor tables for 8, include refreshments of menudo, nachos, dessert and drinks. For information or reservations, call (575) 524-0458 or e-mail margarett55@msm.com
Nick of Time Craft Workshops
Two mini-craft “Just in the Nick of Time” holiday workshops Saturday at the Branigan Cultural Center on the Downtown Mall will include Ojo de Dios or Eye of God ornaments from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (minimum age 6) and Punched Tin Ornaments from noon to 2 p.m. (minimum age 10). Kids under age 8 must be accompanied by an adult. A $10 fee includes all materials and finished pieces to take home. Preregistration is encouraged but not required. Visit the Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., r call (575) 541-2154 or visit online at www.museums.las-cruces.org
Plan a Holiday Field trip
If you’re in the mood for a holiday family road trip, gather family and friends for a holiday celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the El Camino Real International Heritage Center, between Socorro and Truth or Consequences, exit 115 off I-25. There will be ornament-making, piñata-breaking, music, La Posada procession, and a visit with Santa. Kids under 16 free, $5 for adults.
Poetry reading and booksignings
Joe Somoza will introduce his newest book-length collection of poetry, “Shock of White Hair,” with a reading and booksigning from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Black Gold From the Sun, 1910 Calle de Parian in the old Tortilla Factory in Mesilla.
Music on the Mesilla Plaza
Nine days of consecutive music performances from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the Mesilla Plaza begin Saturday and run through Dec. 23. The El Paso Electric Music on the Plaza event features Salty Dogs: Saturday, Las Cruces High School Choir: Sunday, The Brass Quintet: Monday, Bells of the Valley: Tuesday, Doña Ana Youth Choir: Wednesday, Border Jazz Trio: Thursday, Bob Burns Folk Group: Dec. 21, Doo Wop Oldies but Goodies Group: Dec. 22 and Mariachi Manada de Lobos on Dec. 23.
Chamber Music and Dona Ana Youth Choir
Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music will present a free concert of vocal selections “Canciones Navideñas/Songs of the Season,” featuring soloists from the community and the Doña Ana Youth Choir at 7 p.m. Saturday at Good Samaritan Auditorium, 3011 Buena Vida Circle. Doors open at 6:40 p.m.
Mesilla Valley Chorale Concert
The Mesilla Valley Chorale presents “Holiday Memories at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Rio Grande Theatre on the Downtown Mall. Tickets, at $10 are available at the door, at White's Music Box or call (575) 523-0807.
Plan ahead: Christmas Eve Luminarias and Music
On Christmas Eve, thousands of luminarias will be displayed around the Mesilla Plaza beginning at dusk, and the “Mesilla Singers” will lead Christmas carols on the plaza from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and the Friends of the Mesilla Fire Department will hold a candlelight service for public safety and military personnel beginning at 6 p.m. The service is for on- and off-duty personnel, their families and friends, as well as for those serving in the armed forces. Info: (575) 524-3262 ext. 116.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Mariachi Concert at Court Youth Center
The 7th annual holiday Herencia de Mariachi Holiday Concert begins at 6 p.m. Saturday at Court Youth Center, 402 W. Court Ave. Sponsored by Mariachi Espuelas de Plata, musicians in the after school mariachi program at the Court Youth Center, the concert will feature area youth involved in mariachi music and ballet folklórico. Performers will include Mariachi Espuelas de Cobre, Mariachi Atzcalitlan from La Academia Dolores Huerta, Gadsden Middle School Danza group, 6-year-old vocalist Greg Rocha, Mariachi Real de Chihuahua and Mariachi Espuelas de Plata and Hispanic comedy skits. Tickets, at $12 or $150 for sponsor tables for 8, include refreshments of menudo, nachos, dessert and drinks. For information or reservations, call (575) 524-0458 or e-mail margarett55@msm.com
Nick of Time Craft Workshops
Two mini-craft “Just in the Nick of Time” holiday workshops Saturday at the Branigan Cultural Center on the Downtown Mall will include Ojo de Dios or Eye of God ornaments from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (minimum age 6) and Punched Tin Ornaments from noon to 2 p.m. (minimum age 10). Kids under age 8 must be accompanied by an adult. A $10 fee includes all materials and finished pieces to take home. Preregistration is encouraged but not required. Visit the Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., r call (575) 541-2154 or visit online at www.museums.las-cruces.org
Plan a Holiday Field trip
If you’re in the mood for a holiday family road trip, gather family and friends for a holiday celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the El Camino Real International Heritage Center, between Socorro and Truth or Consequences, exit 115 off I-25. There will be ornament-making, piñata-breaking, music, La Posada procession, and a visit with Santa. Kids under 16 free, $5 for adults.
Poetry reading and booksignings
Joe Somoza will introduce his newest book-length collection of poetry, “Shock of White Hair,” with a reading and booksigning from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Black Gold From the Sun, 1910 Calle de Parian in the old Tortilla Factory in Mesilla.
Music on the Mesilla Plaza
Nine days of consecutive music performances from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the Mesilla Plaza begin Saturday and run through Dec. 23. The El Paso Electric Music on the Plaza event features Salty Dogs: Saturday, Las Cruces High School Choir: Sunday, The Brass Quintet: Monday, Bells of the Valley: Tuesday, Doña Ana Youth Choir: Wednesday, Border Jazz Trio: Thursday, Bob Burns Folk Group: Dec. 21, Doo Wop Oldies but Goodies Group: Dec. 22 and Mariachi Manada de Lobos on Dec. 23.
Chamber Music and Dona Ana Youth Choir
Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music will present a free concert of vocal selections “Canciones Navideñas/Songs of the Season,” featuring soloists from the community and the Doña Ana Youth Choir at 7 p.m. Saturday at Good Samaritan Auditorium, 3011 Buena Vida Circle. Doors open at 6:40 p.m.
Mesilla Valley Chorale Concert
The Mesilla Valley Chorale presents “Holiday Memories at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Rio Grande Theatre on the Downtown Mall. Tickets, at $10 are available at the door, at White's Music Box or call (575) 523-0807.
Plan ahead: Christmas Eve Luminarias and Music
On Christmas Eve, thousands of luminarias will be displayed around the Mesilla Plaza beginning at dusk, and the “Mesilla Singers” will lead Christmas carols on the plaza from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and the Friends of the Mesilla Fire Department will hold a candlelight service for public safety and military personnel beginning at 6 p.m. The service is for on- and off-duty personnel, their families and friends, as well as for those serving in the armed forces. Info: (575) 524-3262 ext. 116.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Christmas adventures with Alex the Great
LAS CRUCES — This time of year, many of us realize that long distance just isn’t as good as being there in person. But hearing the voice of a loved one still beats text messaging and chat rooms, I believe, especially if you have a creative grandson.
I’m grateful that this year I got to spend some quality face time with so many of the far-flung people I love the most on this planet, but work schedules and budgets mean that we’ll have to find other ways to communicate on Christmas Day, 2007.
As I was unpacking my holiday decorations, I came upon the small carved stone nativity that grandson Alexander the Great and I have set up together every year since he moved here when he was three.
We established our own little nativity traditions. We’ve collected interesting critters and characters to place with the little Holy Family around what Alex dubbed “The Jesus Castle,” a white plaster church made in Mexico.
Over the years, he has entertained me with many amazing insights on the nativity story and he’s also contributed some intriguing and creative additions to the tableau, from stuffed sheep and dinosaurs to Lego inventions and assorted action figures, which he perched on the Jesus castle rooftop with the angels, or patiently positioned to abide with the shepherds in the surrounding fields, tending their flocks — and Lego sheep and Zuni bears and plastic roadrunners.
I looked forward to discussing the 2007 Christmas tableau with Alex, now 11 and living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
“We have the country’s biggest Christmas tree here, and I can see it from my house,” Alex reported during a Saturday phone conference.
We had lots to discuss. I updated him on some of his Las Cruces friends, we talked about his performances with the orchestra in his new school and I called on him for some Gen W (for Wonderful) takes on current trends.
I had TiVoed both “High School Musical” shows and finally watched them. They were cornier — and surprisingly, tamer — than the Walt Disney serial epics like “Annette” and “Spin and Marty” that I remembered from my own wild youth. I wanted to see if Alex could tell me what the fuss was about, if he’d even seen them.
“Well, yeah, with six girl cousins, it’s pretty hard to avoid ‘High School Musical,’” he said. “I only made it through part of the second one, though. After school got out, they kept hanging around the school dancing and singing about how much they wanted to be out of school, so why didn’t they just leave?”
Musicals often don’t make sense and must be appreciated on nonlogical levels, I informed him, and decided to move on to other great mysteries of the universe, like the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
“Ghost? Did you watch the ‘Ghost Hunters’ marathon?” Alex asked.
During our last in-depth conversation, we had established that I’m a fan of ‘Ghost Whisperer’ and Alex enjoys the paranormal investigative teams on the Sci-Fi Channel ‘Ghost Hunters’ series, which he assigned me to watch and report back.
There doesn’t seem to be much that’s new since I reported on parapsychology research in the 1970s and 1980s, I decided. We discussed a episode that dealt with an allegedly haunted site where prisoners were once confined in cramped and terrible conditions.
That led to a discussion of good and evil and the role of the only ghost that really interests me in my sage years: the Holy Ghost.
There was a time in my late 20s when I was fighting some profoundly evil forces, when I called for help and felt a golden hand on my shoulder.
“A ghost?” Alex asked.
It was the spirit represented by the tiny baby figure in our little manger, I told him. And I did my best to explain to him how that moment changed my life forever, how a hope was replaced with a certainty that has never wavered, during a life that has been filled with some very challenging adventures.
Alex knows how to project an eloquent silence, even over the phone. I wished I could see his face, but for some reason I thought of Alex’s father, and the day I came home from the wars to find my then-teenage son Ry playing not his usual heavy metal guitar riffs, but his own version of “Symphony No. 6: Pastoral,” his mom’s soul-rejuvenating, all-time fave. His Beethoven genes had kicked in.
I think holiday traditions are like that. Sometimes, we worry that the true meaning of Christmas is lost in the holiday stress and madness. But spiritual stories have a power that transcends time and manic materialism. I believe Alex will remember and call on the Source that has sustained so many generations before him.
And I hope that you and your loved ones will find comfort and joy in traditions of your own this year.
Merry Christmas.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
I’m grateful that this year I got to spend some quality face time with so many of the far-flung people I love the most on this planet, but work schedules and budgets mean that we’ll have to find other ways to communicate on Christmas Day, 2007.
As I was unpacking my holiday decorations, I came upon the small carved stone nativity that grandson Alexander the Great and I have set up together every year since he moved here when he was three.
We established our own little nativity traditions. We’ve collected interesting critters and characters to place with the little Holy Family around what Alex dubbed “The Jesus Castle,” a white plaster church made in Mexico.
Over the years, he has entertained me with many amazing insights on the nativity story and he’s also contributed some intriguing and creative additions to the tableau, from stuffed sheep and dinosaurs to Lego inventions and assorted action figures, which he perched on the Jesus castle rooftop with the angels, or patiently positioned to abide with the shepherds in the surrounding fields, tending their flocks — and Lego sheep and Zuni bears and plastic roadrunners.
I looked forward to discussing the 2007 Christmas tableau with Alex, now 11 and living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
“We have the country’s biggest Christmas tree here, and I can see it from my house,” Alex reported during a Saturday phone conference.
We had lots to discuss. I updated him on some of his Las Cruces friends, we talked about his performances with the orchestra in his new school and I called on him for some Gen W (for Wonderful) takes on current trends.
I had TiVoed both “High School Musical” shows and finally watched them. They were cornier — and surprisingly, tamer — than the Walt Disney serial epics like “Annette” and “Spin and Marty” that I remembered from my own wild youth. I wanted to see if Alex could tell me what the fuss was about, if he’d even seen them.
“Well, yeah, with six girl cousins, it’s pretty hard to avoid ‘High School Musical,’” he said. “I only made it through part of the second one, though. After school got out, they kept hanging around the school dancing and singing about how much they wanted to be out of school, so why didn’t they just leave?”
Musicals often don’t make sense and must be appreciated on nonlogical levels, I informed him, and decided to move on to other great mysteries of the universe, like the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
“Ghost? Did you watch the ‘Ghost Hunters’ marathon?” Alex asked.
During our last in-depth conversation, we had established that I’m a fan of ‘Ghost Whisperer’ and Alex enjoys the paranormal investigative teams on the Sci-Fi Channel ‘Ghost Hunters’ series, which he assigned me to watch and report back.
There doesn’t seem to be much that’s new since I reported on parapsychology research in the 1970s and 1980s, I decided. We discussed a episode that dealt with an allegedly haunted site where prisoners were once confined in cramped and terrible conditions.
That led to a discussion of good and evil and the role of the only ghost that really interests me in my sage years: the Holy Ghost.
There was a time in my late 20s when I was fighting some profoundly evil forces, when I called for help and felt a golden hand on my shoulder.
“A ghost?” Alex asked.
It was the spirit represented by the tiny baby figure in our little manger, I told him. And I did my best to explain to him how that moment changed my life forever, how a hope was replaced with a certainty that has never wavered, during a life that has been filled with some very challenging adventures.
Alex knows how to project an eloquent silence, even over the phone. I wished I could see his face, but for some reason I thought of Alex’s father, and the day I came home from the wars to find my then-teenage son Ry playing not his usual heavy metal guitar riffs, but his own version of “Symphony No. 6: Pastoral,” his mom’s soul-rejuvenating, all-time fave. His Beethoven genes had kicked in.
I think holiday traditions are like that. Sometimes, we worry that the true meaning of Christmas is lost in the holiday stress and madness. But spiritual stories have a power that transcends time and manic materialism. I believe Alex will remember and call on the Source that has sustained so many generations before him.
And I hope that you and your loved ones will find comfort and joy in traditions of your own this year.
Merry Christmas.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Great Conversations in Las Cruces
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — Dr. William Sheldon, the late M.D. and author-philosopher, once said that as long as there are at least two seeking consciousnesses somewhere in the universe, there is hope.
We live in a little city that is sizzling hotbed of hope, if the eagerness to share “great conversations” is any indication.
“I hope this is the beginning of a great tradition,” said New Mexico State University President Michael Martin, welcoming participants to “Great Conversations,” a Nov. 28 NMSU Honors College benefit that gave participants a chance to have dinner with an expert on their choice of several intriguing topics.
“Universities are about great conversation on important topics. It’s the place where we debate and discuss and wrestle with the issues of our time,” Martin said.
Not much wrestling went on, but we had a very good time at my table, where NMSU professor of music and recording artist Jim Shearer presided and the official topic was “Can the Music Industry be Saved?”
But we didn’t stop with music; my table seemed concerned with saving the entire world. We discussed everything from smart classrooms, sex, religion, and politics to modern musicals, the speed of high-tech evolution, music education and the impact of video games on toddlers. Dinner mates included teachers, philosophers, artists, musicians and a grad student.
We grandmothers can’t have a truly great conversation without mentioning our own greats and I had a good time comparing notes with Sharon Billington, whose 11-year-old triplet grandkids are the same age as my grand, Alexander the Great. We decided the upcoming generation is populated with some remarkable souls.
We all agreed we learned something new, from new perspectives to fun facts. I didn’t know, until Jim told us, for instance, that there are now devices that can almost instantly correct recordings of a singer’s pitch, which must be, to intonation-challenged pop stars, what spell-check is to beleaguered writers.
I saw lots of familiar faces.
“It was a fun evening. There were some bright students and the conversation went all over the place,” said Stephanie Medoff, whose husband, Tony-Award winning playwright and filmmaker Mark chaired “Are Movies, Musicals and Revivals Ruining Contemporary Theatre?”
Tables were dedicated to dozens of discussion topics that ranged from stem-cell research to “The New Testament as Literature” with moderators that included professors, community leaders, former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Delano Lewis and Apollo 17 lunar module pilot and former U.S. Sen. Harrison Schmitt.
The evening, billed as a “chance to bring town and gown together,” according to Honors College assistant dean Jill Grammer, attracted 219 donors and raised over $50,000 for scholarships.
The event may be repeated every two years, or maybe even annually.
I say, the sooner the better.
In the meantime, it would be wonderful if some enterprising restaurant or coffee house could start up a mini-version of “Great Conversations” for lunch or brunch. I have fond memories of an Oregon Mensa group that hosted an informal drop-in luncheon at an interesting old Portland hotel. If I remember right, it was either monthly or weekly and there was a semi-official topic or two that served as a springboard for some amazing notions and great conversation.
There’s something inspiring, in an era of soundbites, text messaging, and interesting but impersonal blogging, about going somewhere with the express purpose of having a profound conversation with one’s fellow beings. Could it be a concept whose time has come — or returned?
¡Viva great conversations!
+ + +
Thanks to those of you who wrote in response to a recent column item with a suggestion from Jerry Harrell that we send cards to recovering soldiers. Unfortunately, the address sent by Jerry and others is not valid because mail will not be delivered to unnamed soldiers, due to security issues.
Several of you sent suggestions for remembering our servicemen and women during the holidays.
Frequently recommended is the USO. Their current mission is to bring cheer to those serving on the front lines, “To make sure all 170,000 of these courageous men and women, who won’t be ‘home for the holidays,’ know they have not been forgotten.”
To make a donation, or learn more, visit www.uso.org/donate
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
MORE IDEAS TO ADD TO HOLIDAY CHEER FOR SERVICEMEN
These ideas come from Barbara Kewley, wgo writes:
Today, I went to the official "Walter Reed Army
Medical Center" website, & under "Cards for Wounded
Warriors", this is what I found:
Support A Recovering American Soldier
Walter Reed Army Medical Center officials want to
remind those individuals who want to show their
appreciation through mail to include packages,
letters, and holiday cards addressed to "Any Wounded
Soldier" or "A Recovering American Soldier" that
Walter Reed cannot accept these packages in support of
the decision by then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense
for Transportation Policy in 2001. This decision was
made to ensure the safety and well being of patients
and staff at medical centers throughout the Department
of Defense.
In addition, the U.S. Postal Service is no longer
accepting "Any Service Member" or "A Recovering
American Soldier" letters or packages. Mail to "Any
Service Member" that is deposited into a collection
box will not be delivered.
Instead of sending an “Any Wounded Soldier” letter or
package to Walter Reed, please consider making a
donation to one of the more than 300 nonprofit
organizations dedicated to helping our troops and
their families listed on the "America Supports You"
website, www.americasupportsyou.mil
Other organizations that offer means of showing your
support for our troops or assist wounded
servicemembers and their families include:
http://www.usocares.org/
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/tooursoldiers/
http://www.redcross.org For individuals without
computer access, your local military installation, the
local National Guard or military reserve unit in your
area may offer the best alternative to show your
support to our returning troops and their families.
Walter Reed Army Medical Center will continue to
receive process and deliver all mail that is addressed
to a specific individual. As Walter Reed continues to
enhance the medical care and processes for our
returning service members, it must also must keep our
patients and staff members safe while following
Department of Defense policy. The outpouring of
encouragement from the general public, corporate
America and civic groups throughout the past year has
been incredible. Our Warriors in Transition are amazed
at the thanks and support they receive from their
countrymen.
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — Dr. William Sheldon, the late M.D. and author-philosopher, once said that as long as there are at least two seeking consciousnesses somewhere in the universe, there is hope.
We live in a little city that is sizzling hotbed of hope, if the eagerness to share “great conversations” is any indication.
“I hope this is the beginning of a great tradition,” said New Mexico State University President Michael Martin, welcoming participants to “Great Conversations,” a Nov. 28 NMSU Honors College benefit that gave participants a chance to have dinner with an expert on their choice of several intriguing topics.
“Universities are about great conversation on important topics. It’s the place where we debate and discuss and wrestle with the issues of our time,” Martin said.
Not much wrestling went on, but we had a very good time at my table, where NMSU professor of music and recording artist Jim Shearer presided and the official topic was “Can the Music Industry be Saved?”
But we didn’t stop with music; my table seemed concerned with saving the entire world. We discussed everything from smart classrooms, sex, religion, and politics to modern musicals, the speed of high-tech evolution, music education and the impact of video games on toddlers. Dinner mates included teachers, philosophers, artists, musicians and a grad student.
We grandmothers can’t have a truly great conversation without mentioning our own greats and I had a good time comparing notes with Sharon Billington, whose 11-year-old triplet grandkids are the same age as my grand, Alexander the Great. We decided the upcoming generation is populated with some remarkable souls.
We all agreed we learned something new, from new perspectives to fun facts. I didn’t know, until Jim told us, for instance, that there are now devices that can almost instantly correct recordings of a singer’s pitch, which must be, to intonation-challenged pop stars, what spell-check is to beleaguered writers.
I saw lots of familiar faces.
“It was a fun evening. There were some bright students and the conversation went all over the place,” said Stephanie Medoff, whose husband, Tony-Award winning playwright and filmmaker Mark chaired “Are Movies, Musicals and Revivals Ruining Contemporary Theatre?”
Tables were dedicated to dozens of discussion topics that ranged from stem-cell research to “The New Testament as Literature” with moderators that included professors, community leaders, former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Delano Lewis and Apollo 17 lunar module pilot and former U.S. Sen. Harrison Schmitt.
The evening, billed as a “chance to bring town and gown together,” according to Honors College assistant dean Jill Grammer, attracted 219 donors and raised over $50,000 for scholarships.
The event may be repeated every two years, or maybe even annually.
I say, the sooner the better.
In the meantime, it would be wonderful if some enterprising restaurant or coffee house could start up a mini-version of “Great Conversations” for lunch or brunch. I have fond memories of an Oregon Mensa group that hosted an informal drop-in luncheon at an interesting old Portland hotel. If I remember right, it was either monthly or weekly and there was a semi-official topic or two that served as a springboard for some amazing notions and great conversation.
There’s something inspiring, in an era of soundbites, text messaging, and interesting but impersonal blogging, about going somewhere with the express purpose of having a profound conversation with one’s fellow beings. Could it be a concept whose time has come — or returned?
¡Viva great conversations!
+ + +
Thanks to those of you who wrote in response to a recent column item with a suggestion from Jerry Harrell that we send cards to recovering soldiers. Unfortunately, the address sent by Jerry and others is not valid because mail will not be delivered to unnamed soldiers, due to security issues.
Several of you sent suggestions for remembering our servicemen and women during the holidays.
Frequently recommended is the USO. Their current mission is to bring cheer to those serving on the front lines, “To make sure all 170,000 of these courageous men and women, who won’t be ‘home for the holidays,’ know they have not been forgotten.”
To make a donation, or learn more, visit www.uso.org/donate
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
MORE IDEAS TO ADD TO HOLIDAY CHEER FOR SERVICEMEN
These ideas come from Barbara Kewley, wgo writes:
Today, I went to the official "Walter Reed Army
Medical Center" website, & under "Cards for Wounded
Warriors", this is what I found:
Support A Recovering American Soldier
Walter Reed Army Medical Center officials want to
remind those individuals who want to show their
appreciation through mail to include packages,
letters, and holiday cards addressed to "Any Wounded
Soldier" or "A Recovering American Soldier" that
Walter Reed cannot accept these packages in support of
the decision by then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense
for Transportation Policy in 2001. This decision was
made to ensure the safety and well being of patients
and staff at medical centers throughout the Department
of Defense.
In addition, the U.S. Postal Service is no longer
accepting "Any Service Member" or "A Recovering
American Soldier" letters or packages. Mail to "Any
Service Member" that is deposited into a collection
box will not be delivered.
Instead of sending an “Any Wounded Soldier” letter or
package to Walter Reed, please consider making a
donation to one of the more than 300 nonprofit
organizations dedicated to helping our troops and
their families listed on the "America Supports You"
website, www.americasupportsyou.mil
Other organizations that offer means of showing your
support for our troops or assist wounded
servicemembers and their families include:
http://www.usocares.org/
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/tooursoldiers/
http://www.redcross.org For individuals without
computer access, your local military installation, the
local National Guard or military reserve unit in your
area may offer the best alternative to show your
support to our returning troops and their families.
Walter Reed Army Medical Center will continue to
receive process and deliver all mail that is addressed
to a specific individual. As Walter Reed continues to
enhance the medical care and processes for our
returning service members, it must also must keep our
patients and staff members safe while following
Department of Defense policy. The outpouring of
encouragement from the general public, corporate
America and civic groups throughout the past year has
been incredible. Our Warriors in Transition are amazed
at the thanks and support they receive from their
countrymen.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Attitudes of Gratitude
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — If you’re feeling challenged on the gratitude front, sometimes it helps to put things in perspective.
When it comes to participants in the first Thanksgiving, English settlers seem to have a lot more to be thankful for than their indigenous benefactors who attended the 1621 Plymouth harvest fiesta.
American Indians in general would have good reason to spend Thanksgiving singing the blues. Even their ethnic group name is derived from European invaders. I can’t refer to them as Native Americans because I’m supposed to follow Associated Press style, which specifies “American Indian.” The name America, of course, is derived from Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian who wandered around new-to-European worlds during the same period Chris Columbus was mistakenly concluding he had reached India.
I was thinking about all that during a tour of Acoma Sky City, as our guide Gary Keene described the horrors Spanish invaders imposed on his ancestors.
After chonicling foot amputations and other atrocities, Keene gracefully segued to the ultimate glass-half-full attitude.
“The Spanish did one good thing, though,” he opined, through their ignorance of nonterritorial traditions: They specified that separate territories belonged to specific groups of Pueblo peoples, thus establishing a basis for sovereign land rights and claims.
So now, down the hill from what is reportedly the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America, is a beautiful $14 million cultural center, financed by proceeds from a hotel and casino complex a respectable distance away.
Personally, gambling is one of the few vices that has never interested me, but I love the poetic justice of it all, a chance to get a little something back for that Manhattan-for-cheap-beads scam and other rotten deals through the centuries.
Keene’s cheerful attitude has made me think about all the things I have to be thankful for during a period when I’ve been mourning the loss of some of my favorite people.
Again, though, it’s all relative. Many of my friends have buried their loved ones, and most of my recently departed dear ones just relocated to other parts of the planet. I’m grateful for phones and e-mail and digital cameras that allow us to keep in touch. I’m grateful that grandson Alexander the Great escaped from San Diego before the recent devastating fires and what I fear will be a perilous decade for the once-great state of California. I’m happy that he and his mom and dad are all in the clean, green Pacific Northwest now.
I’m even grateful for commercial airlines, I decided, though I wavered a bit after lengthy delays that shortened reunions in 2007.
Still, I’m grateful that we all love — and like — each other so much that we wish we had more time together. And wherever we are this holiday season, we’ll be praying the rest of the world could have a year as wonderful as ours has been, for our troops and people struggling in war-torn nations.
Jerry Harrell of Mesilla suggests we make time to send holiday cards this year to: A Recovering American soldier, c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20307-500.
May attitudes of gratitude grace your holidays. Happy Thanksgiving.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com. Access my blog by going to www.lcsun-news.com, click on the Blogzone and then on the Las Cruces Style icon or go directly to lascrucesstyle.blogspot.com
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — If you’re feeling challenged on the gratitude front, sometimes it helps to put things in perspective.
When it comes to participants in the first Thanksgiving, English settlers seem to have a lot more to be thankful for than their indigenous benefactors who attended the 1621 Plymouth harvest fiesta.
American Indians in general would have good reason to spend Thanksgiving singing the blues. Even their ethnic group name is derived from European invaders. I can’t refer to them as Native Americans because I’m supposed to follow Associated Press style, which specifies “American Indian.” The name America, of course, is derived from Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian who wandered around new-to-European worlds during the same period Chris Columbus was mistakenly concluding he had reached India.
I was thinking about all that during a tour of Acoma Sky City, as our guide Gary Keene described the horrors Spanish invaders imposed on his ancestors.
After chonicling foot amputations and other atrocities, Keene gracefully segued to the ultimate glass-half-full attitude.
“The Spanish did one good thing, though,” he opined, through their ignorance of nonterritorial traditions: They specified that separate territories belonged to specific groups of Pueblo peoples, thus establishing a basis for sovereign land rights and claims.
So now, down the hill from what is reportedly the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America, is a beautiful $14 million cultural center, financed by proceeds from a hotel and casino complex a respectable distance away.
Personally, gambling is one of the few vices that has never interested me, but I love the poetic justice of it all, a chance to get a little something back for that Manhattan-for-cheap-beads scam and other rotten deals through the centuries.
Keene’s cheerful attitude has made me think about all the things I have to be thankful for during a period when I’ve been mourning the loss of some of my favorite people.
Again, though, it’s all relative. Many of my friends have buried their loved ones, and most of my recently departed dear ones just relocated to other parts of the planet. I’m grateful for phones and e-mail and digital cameras that allow us to keep in touch. I’m grateful that grandson Alexander the Great escaped from San Diego before the recent devastating fires and what I fear will be a perilous decade for the once-great state of California. I’m happy that he and his mom and dad are all in the clean, green Pacific Northwest now.
I’m even grateful for commercial airlines, I decided, though I wavered a bit after lengthy delays that shortened reunions in 2007.
Still, I’m grateful that we all love — and like — each other so much that we wish we had more time together. And wherever we are this holiday season, we’ll be praying the rest of the world could have a year as wonderful as ours has been, for our troops and people struggling in war-torn nations.
Jerry Harrell of Mesilla suggests we make time to send holiday cards this year to: A Recovering American soldier, c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20307-500.
May attitudes of gratitude grace your holidays. Happy Thanksgiving.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com. Access my blog by going to www.lcsun-news.com, click on the Blogzone and then on the Las Cruces Style icon or go directly to lascrucesstyle.blogspot.com
Friday, November 9, 2007
Mariachi Memories and Festival at Young Park
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — Mariachi transcends time, place and ethnic origins.
Can a Midwestern Scandinavian-American Baby Boomer really grow up loving mariachi, you may ask?
Si, and I’m living proof.
I may have had a lot to learn, but I was hardly a mariachi virgin when I moved to New Mexico.
I came from a family of singers in Michigan. Dad, who was trying to teach us Spanish, made sure our road trip repertoire featured some fun Español numbers.
In my Midwestern WASP familia, the canciones de mi padre included pop standards from his salad days in the 1930s and 40s: “Si Lito Lindo,” “Vaya Con Dios,” “Juanita,” “La Cucharacha,” and assorted other ditties.
There were also lots of fun Spanglish hybrids like “The Donkey Serenade.”
I can’t remember where I put my car keys, but my brain can instantly access: “Amigo mio, does she not have a dainty bray? She listens carefully to each little tune you play. La bella señorita? Si, si mi muchachita...”
Well, you get the idea.
We not only had the music, we were learning the moves. By the time I got to high school, many of us in the Orchard View High School Spanish Club could manage a rudimentary version of what we called the Mexican hat dance.
As a teenager, I heard mariachi groups singing and playing versions of those family favorite songs during trips to California and Tijuana. I may not have understood much about mariachi musical traditions then, but I know what I like, and I loved the soulful vocals, the romantic guitars and shimmering violins, the clear passionate trumpets, the beautiful costumes and dramatic movements of flamenco and folklorico dancers.
In the West and even the Midwest, mariachi became a part of my life. I discovered how much I missed it when I moved back East. The turning point came when I was planning a party in uber-Anglo Palm Beach and found myself trying to turn a chamber music group into a mariachi band.
As I worked to coax a French horn, cello and viola into playing a little cocktail hour ranchera to liven things up, I knew that it was time to return to the Southwest. Now, of course, I know I was not asking the impossible, I was merely ahead of my time. These days, the likes of Mariachi Cobre, Linda Ronstandt and a sombrero-clad Doc Severinsen routinely and brilliantly lead symphony orchestras to mariachi magnificence.
With exposure to the real deal, even the culturally deprived can learn. I was born preferring salsa to ketchup...and the rest of the United States, given a choice, finally caught up with me.
So it is with mariachi and all its glorious trappings.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Jose Tena’s Ballet Folklorico de la Tierra del Encanto. The flashing mariposa skirts, the sight of dancers in their crisp white Veracruz outfits accented with colorful embroidery, moving with lighted candles down the aisles of Oñate High School’s auditorium...it’s all etched indelibly in the mucho gusto balconies of my brain.
Show me a soul who is not moved by the rush of mariachi dancers and musicians opening a Spectacular concert at Pan Am and I will show you a difunto.
I’m not sure when I realized mariachi was a lot more than music and dance and pageantry.
It’s also poetry, passion, pleasure and pain. It’s faith, an expression of—and cure for—the blues, a great way to cheer up when you’re down and celebrate when you’re happy. It’s chiles and Christmas and luminarias and maracas and piñatas and a hot summer fiesta with cool margaritas.
Mariachi is a culture, a way of life.
I remember a meeting in 1994 with some of the founders of what would become the Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference. Jose Tena was there, along with Phyllis Franzoy, Erlinda Portilla, Judy Luna and several others, including native Las Crucens with Anglo roots who stressed that the heritage they wanted to preserve and nurture was sin fronteras, transcending borders and boundaries of heritage and ethnicity.
It’s a dream we’ve seen fulfilled, a rare thing, our own little milagro, and all who have contributed should be proud.
¡Viva mariachi!
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com. Access my blog by going to www.lcsun-news.com, click on the Blogzone and then on the Las Cruces Style icon or go directly to lascrucesstyle.blogspot.com
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — Mariachi transcends time, place and ethnic origins.
Can a Midwestern Scandinavian-American Baby Boomer really grow up loving mariachi, you may ask?
Si, and I’m living proof.
I may have had a lot to learn, but I was hardly a mariachi virgin when I moved to New Mexico.
I came from a family of singers in Michigan. Dad, who was trying to teach us Spanish, made sure our road trip repertoire featured some fun Español numbers.
In my Midwestern WASP familia, the canciones de mi padre included pop standards from his salad days in the 1930s and 40s: “Si Lito Lindo,” “Vaya Con Dios,” “Juanita,” “La Cucharacha,” and assorted other ditties.
There were also lots of fun Spanglish hybrids like “The Donkey Serenade.”
I can’t remember where I put my car keys, but my brain can instantly access: “Amigo mio, does she not have a dainty bray? She listens carefully to each little tune you play. La bella señorita? Si, si mi muchachita...”
Well, you get the idea.
We not only had the music, we were learning the moves. By the time I got to high school, many of us in the Orchard View High School Spanish Club could manage a rudimentary version of what we called the Mexican hat dance.
As a teenager, I heard mariachi groups singing and playing versions of those family favorite songs during trips to California and Tijuana. I may not have understood much about mariachi musical traditions then, but I know what I like, and I loved the soulful vocals, the romantic guitars and shimmering violins, the clear passionate trumpets, the beautiful costumes and dramatic movements of flamenco and folklorico dancers.
In the West and even the Midwest, mariachi became a part of my life. I discovered how much I missed it when I moved back East. The turning point came when I was planning a party in uber-Anglo Palm Beach and found myself trying to turn a chamber music group into a mariachi band.
As I worked to coax a French horn, cello and viola into playing a little cocktail hour ranchera to liven things up, I knew that it was time to return to the Southwest. Now, of course, I know I was not asking the impossible, I was merely ahead of my time. These days, the likes of Mariachi Cobre, Linda Ronstandt and a sombrero-clad Doc Severinsen routinely and brilliantly lead symphony orchestras to mariachi magnificence.
With exposure to the real deal, even the culturally deprived can learn. I was born preferring salsa to ketchup...and the rest of the United States, given a choice, finally caught up with me.
So it is with mariachi and all its glorious trappings.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Jose Tena’s Ballet Folklorico de la Tierra del Encanto. The flashing mariposa skirts, the sight of dancers in their crisp white Veracruz outfits accented with colorful embroidery, moving with lighted candles down the aisles of Oñate High School’s auditorium...it’s all etched indelibly in the mucho gusto balconies of my brain.
Show me a soul who is not moved by the rush of mariachi dancers and musicians opening a Spectacular concert at Pan Am and I will show you a difunto.
I’m not sure when I realized mariachi was a lot more than music and dance and pageantry.
It’s also poetry, passion, pleasure and pain. It’s faith, an expression of—and cure for—the blues, a great way to cheer up when you’re down and celebrate when you’re happy. It’s chiles and Christmas and luminarias and maracas and piñatas and a hot summer fiesta with cool margaritas.
Mariachi is a culture, a way of life.
I remember a meeting in 1994 with some of the founders of what would become the Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference. Jose Tena was there, along with Phyllis Franzoy, Erlinda Portilla, Judy Luna and several others, including native Las Crucens with Anglo roots who stressed that the heritage they wanted to preserve and nurture was sin fronteras, transcending borders and boundaries of heritage and ethnicity.
It’s a dream we’ve seen fulfilled, a rare thing, our own little milagro, and all who have contributed should be proud.
¡Viva mariachi!
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com. Access my blog by going to www.lcsun-news.com, click on the Blogzone and then on the Las Cruces Style icon or go directly to lascrucesstyle.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 1, 2007
More Burning Plan gigs
As promised, I'm passing on info from "The Burning Plain" casting people at Stew Casting . Don't call me. If you're interested in any of this E-MAIL THEM! (Again, not me, please, I have nothing to do with the movie) at:
BURNINGPLAINEXTRAS@GMAIL.COM
"The Burning Plain" by Guillermo Arriaga is looking for the following
Stand-Ins & Doubles.
POSTED NOV. 1
We will be filming through Dec. 18 in and around Las Cruces, New Mexico.
In some cases,lodging will be provided. This mostly applies to those we have personally worked with and are familiar with(you know who you are).
It is preferable that we do not have to provide lodging, therefore those who live in the area will be given priority after those we have worked with.
IF YOU MATCH THE INFO BELOW CONTACT US...
FEMALE (Mariana) - 17 - 22 years 5' 9" Size 6 Bra 34c Blonde Hair
FEMALE (Gina)- 30 - 40 years 5' 7" Size 6-8 Bra 34c 125lbs Hair
Undetermined at this point
MALE (Robert)- 6' 2" Size 46L Pant 36/34 Shirt 17-17 1/2 210lbs
Dirty Blonde Hair
MALE (Young Santiago) 5' 11" Size 39/40R Pant 30/32 Shirt 15 1/2
34 150lbs Dark Brown/Black Hair
FEMALE (Maria)- Young Teen 5' 1" 31" Hips 77lbs Size 13 Jacket /
Size 12-13 Pant Medium Brown Hair
Please make sure you are these sizes/weights/colors as WE WILL BE MEASURING.
At least make sure you are VERY close to them before contacting us.
Respond to = BURNINGPLAINEXTRAS@GMAIL.COM
THESE ARE ONLY 5 OF THE NEARLY 30 WE WILL BE HIRING. MORE E-MAILS
WILL FOLLOW OVER THE NEXT WEEK. FEEL FREE TO POST THIS IN APPROPRIATE
PLACES IF YOU WISH.
.
POSTED NOV 1:
We need the following Stand In's & Doubles for filming on the Burning Plain.
We are filming in and around Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Please contact us if you are exact or VERY close to any of the
following charecters :
PAT 14 y.o. male 5' 5" 105 lbs 28 waist 10 1/2 Shoe light brown hair
*RANCHER #1 40 - 50's male 5' 4" (stocky) 34 Pant Brown Hair
***NEEDED VERY SOON / NON RECURRING !
OPERATOR 25-33 female 5' 5" 125 lbs Medium jacket/dress 5 Pant
34B bra Dark Brn Hair Light to pale skin
BOBBY 10 y.o. male 5' 1" 115 lbs 14/16 Jacket 30 Pant Light Brn
Hair Pale Skin (blue eyes a plus.)
*MONNIE 8 y.o. female 4' 0" 55-65 lbs Size 8 Jacket&Dress Pant 8
Size 1 Shoe Lt Brn Hair Pale skin (blue eyes a plus)
*** NON RECURRING
CRISTOBAL - 22-30 male 6' 1" 170 lbs 16 1/2 - 34 Shirt Pant
31/32 11 Shoe Dark Brn/Blk Hair Med Brn/Olive Skin
SANTIAGO (grown) 25-33 male 6' 0" 165-175 lbs 40r Jacket 33/33 Pant
15-15 1/2 Shirt Size 11 shoe
MANY MORE E-MAILS TO FOLLOW WITH STAND IN AND DOUBLE POSITIONS.
PLEASE REPLY IF YOU ARE EXACT OR VERY CLOSE TO EXACT ( 3 inches or 25
lbs off is not close to exact btw)
Reply to = BURNINGPLAINEXTRAS@GMAIL.COM
BURNINGPLAINEXTRAS@GMAIL.COM
"The Burning Plain" by Guillermo Arriaga is looking for the following
Stand-Ins & Doubles.
POSTED NOV. 1
We will be filming through Dec. 18 in and around Las Cruces, New Mexico.
In some cases,lodging will be provided. This mostly applies to those we have personally worked with and are familiar with(you know who you are).
It is preferable that we do not have to provide lodging, therefore those who live in the area will be given priority after those we have worked with.
IF YOU MATCH THE INFO BELOW CONTACT US...
FEMALE (Mariana) - 17 - 22 years 5' 9" Size 6 Bra 34c Blonde Hair
FEMALE (Gina)- 30 - 40 years 5' 7" Size 6-8 Bra 34c 125lbs Hair
Undetermined at this point
MALE (Robert)- 6' 2" Size 46L Pant 36/34 Shirt 17-17 1/2 210lbs
Dirty Blonde Hair
MALE (Young Santiago) 5' 11" Size 39/40R Pant 30/32 Shirt 15 1/2
34 150lbs Dark Brown/Black Hair
FEMALE (Maria)- Young Teen 5' 1" 31" Hips 77lbs Size 13 Jacket /
Size 12-13 Pant Medium Brown Hair
Please make sure you are these sizes/weights/colors as WE WILL BE MEASURING.
At least make sure you are VERY close to them before contacting us.
Respond to = BURNINGPLAINEXTRAS@GMAIL.COM
THESE ARE ONLY 5 OF THE NEARLY 30 WE WILL BE HIRING. MORE E-MAILS
WILL FOLLOW OVER THE NEXT WEEK. FEEL FREE TO POST THIS IN APPROPRIATE
PLACES IF YOU WISH.
.
POSTED NOV 1:
We need the following Stand In's & Doubles for filming on the Burning Plain.
We are filming in and around Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Please contact us if you are exact or VERY close to any of the
following charecters :
PAT 14 y.o. male 5' 5" 105 lbs 28 waist 10 1/2 Shoe light brown hair
*RANCHER #1 40 - 50's male 5' 4" (stocky) 34 Pant Brown Hair
***NEEDED VERY SOON / NON RECURRING !
OPERATOR 25-33 female 5' 5" 125 lbs Medium jacket/dress 5 Pant
34B bra Dark Brn Hair Light to pale skin
BOBBY 10 y.o. male 5' 1" 115 lbs 14/16 Jacket 30 Pant Light Brn
Hair Pale Skin (blue eyes a plus.)
*MONNIE 8 y.o. female 4' 0" 55-65 lbs Size 8 Jacket&Dress Pant 8
Size 1 Shoe Lt Brn Hair Pale skin (blue eyes a plus)
*** NON RECURRING
CRISTOBAL - 22-30 male 6' 1" 170 lbs 16 1/2 - 34 Shirt Pant
31/32 11 Shoe Dark Brn/Blk Hair Med Brn/Olive Skin
SANTIAGO (grown) 25-33 male 6' 0" 165-175 lbs 40r Jacket 33/33 Pant
15-15 1/2 Shirt Size 11 shoe
MANY MORE E-MAILS TO FOLLOW WITH STAND IN AND DOUBLE POSITIONS.
PLEASE REPLY IF YOU ARE EXACT OR VERY CLOSE TO EXACT ( 3 inches or 25
lbs off is not close to exact btw)
Reply to = BURNINGPLAINEXTRAS@GMAIL.COM
Retro fiestas remind us to live for today
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — As modern life grows more complex and challenging, it’s interesting that so many of us find comfort in customs and traditions of earlier times.
Even small kids, obsessed with everything from dragons and castles to dinosaurs, seem to long for the golden days of yesteryear.
We’re in luck here in the Borderlands, where we can take trips down many memory lanes, without investing in expensive video games or spending our weekends in dark movie theaters or glued to the TV.
In fact, we can combine time travels with gatherings with friends and family and lots of fresh air and exercise at what could be the best time of year to be outdoors in Southern New Mexico.
This weekend’s full-tilt fiesta events focus on the 36th annual Dona Ana Arts Council Renaissance ArtsFaire. If you haven’t been, there’s still time to climb into your retro finery (or go in your 21st century time-traveler civies if you’d rather) and head for Young Park to watch old-time jousts, join the king and queen for royal processions, see arts and crafts, or just relax in the sun and enjoy wandering minstrels or chow down on ye olde Navajo tacos and New World chocolate treats.
Last weekend, and with a closing Friday night procession in Mesilla, many of us joined to commemorate Dia de los Muertos, based on ancient customs honoring dear departed souls.
Next week, both mariachi fans and students will be celebrating what many consider a modern milagro: the rebirth and perpetuation of mariachi music, dance and customs that many feared would be lost to this generation.
Why are we so drawn to retro arts, activities and customs?
I was pondering all this a few weeks ago as I drove home from the world premiere of Bob Divens’ “Extinction: A Love Story.” The musical focused on something really retro: the passions of dinosaurs who lived and died 65 million years ago in what is now New Mexico.
Bob has been so busy that he told me he would be breaking a long tradition by not appearing as Robert the Ratcatcher at RenFaire this weekend. I’m not sure if his special, stuffed-toy rat catapult will be on hand, but we can’t deny that Bob has been generous in sharing his knowledge over the years. (Hurl a rodent for a friend and he’s rid of one rat today; teach him to build and operate a ratapult and he can hurl rats for the rest of his life...)
Which brings me to a major motive for all this retro stuff. As Carol Thomas of the Society for Creative Anachronism told me last week: “My main goal is fun. I like learning how to make things and do things the way they used to be done.”
If it came to a choice, she admits, there’s no way she would trade now for then.
“I like things like modern medicine,” she said.
She stressed that what the SCA does is “recreation, not reenactment. We don’t do anything dangerous. They had to learn these skills because they were at war and we are not, nor do we wish to be,” Thomas said.
A lot of this retro stuff is just plain fun, remembering the best aspects of what were often cruel and agonizingly difficult times. High-tech types enjoy the return to simpler eras.
And there is balm for the soul in some of this: time heals, lends perspective, and offers hope in the continuity of tradition.
There is something wonderful about building a little altar and remembering the best parts of lives well-lived, after the sting of death has lessened a bit.
And there is something charming, fortifying, even spiritually uplifting, about seeing a granddaughter move through a graceful folklorico dance in the same kind of dress her mother and grandmother wore, hearing young students and polished professionals perform some of the same mariachi tunes your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents loved.
There’s something about retro fiestas that reminds us the importance of living in the moment: to stop and appreciate the best moments of today.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — As modern life grows more complex and challenging, it’s interesting that so many of us find comfort in customs and traditions of earlier times.
Even small kids, obsessed with everything from dragons and castles to dinosaurs, seem to long for the golden days of yesteryear.
We’re in luck here in the Borderlands, where we can take trips down many memory lanes, without investing in expensive video games or spending our weekends in dark movie theaters or glued to the TV.
In fact, we can combine time travels with gatherings with friends and family and lots of fresh air and exercise at what could be the best time of year to be outdoors in Southern New Mexico.
This weekend’s full-tilt fiesta events focus on the 36th annual Dona Ana Arts Council Renaissance ArtsFaire. If you haven’t been, there’s still time to climb into your retro finery (or go in your 21st century time-traveler civies if you’d rather) and head for Young Park to watch old-time jousts, join the king and queen for royal processions, see arts and crafts, or just relax in the sun and enjoy wandering minstrels or chow down on ye olde Navajo tacos and New World chocolate treats.
Last weekend, and with a closing Friday night procession in Mesilla, many of us joined to commemorate Dia de los Muertos, based on ancient customs honoring dear departed souls.
Next week, both mariachi fans and students will be celebrating what many consider a modern milagro: the rebirth and perpetuation of mariachi music, dance and customs that many feared would be lost to this generation.
Why are we so drawn to retro arts, activities and customs?
I was pondering all this a few weeks ago as I drove home from the world premiere of Bob Divens’ “Extinction: A Love Story.” The musical focused on something really retro: the passions of dinosaurs who lived and died 65 million years ago in what is now New Mexico.
Bob has been so busy that he told me he would be breaking a long tradition by not appearing as Robert the Ratcatcher at RenFaire this weekend. I’m not sure if his special, stuffed-toy rat catapult will be on hand, but we can’t deny that Bob has been generous in sharing his knowledge over the years. (Hurl a rodent for a friend and he’s rid of one rat today; teach him to build and operate a ratapult and he can hurl rats for the rest of his life...)
Which brings me to a major motive for all this retro stuff. As Carol Thomas of the Society for Creative Anachronism told me last week: “My main goal is fun. I like learning how to make things and do things the way they used to be done.”
If it came to a choice, she admits, there’s no way she would trade now for then.
“I like things like modern medicine,” she said.
She stressed that what the SCA does is “recreation, not reenactment. We don’t do anything dangerous. They had to learn these skills because they were at war and we are not, nor do we wish to be,” Thomas said.
A lot of this retro stuff is just plain fun, remembering the best aspects of what were often cruel and agonizingly difficult times. High-tech types enjoy the return to simpler eras.
And there is balm for the soul in some of this: time heals, lends perspective, and offers hope in the continuity of tradition.
There is something wonderful about building a little altar and remembering the best parts of lives well-lived, after the sting of death has lessened a bit.
And there is something charming, fortifying, even spiritually uplifting, about seeing a granddaughter move through a graceful folklorico dance in the same kind of dress her mother and grandmother wore, hearing young students and polished professionals perform some of the same mariachi tunes your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents loved.
There’s something about retro fiestas that reminds us the importance of living in the moment: to stop and appreciate the best moments of today.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Friday, October 26, 2007
Mojos, online news and the future of journalism
LAS CRUCES — We’ve been doing a lot of thinking, here at the Sun-News, about the ways we communicate in the new millennium.
If you’re a regular visitor to our Web site, www.lcsun-news.com, you’ve probably been noticing a lot of changes in the way we’re doing things, from continuous news updates to more video clips and photo galleries and blogs.
And our Web editor Tracy Patrick reports that more and more of you are spending time with us online. We’re getting about 1.3 million hits a month these days, including more than 30,000 of you who are checking us out for the first time, from locations all over the planet.
I see the changes personally in your e-mails and responses to my Las Cruces Style blog. (To get there: go to www.lcsun-news.com, click on the Blogzone and then on the Las Cruces Style icon.)
There is a lot more diversity in the people I’ve heard from in recent months. My day now can include an inquiry from a Midwestern teen who’s collecting things I’ve written about and comments from people from Alaska to Florida who are interested in moving here and want to learn a little more about what life is like in Las Cruces. Sometimes, I hear from an old high school amigo in Michigan or a long-lost college friend who has come across my byline while searching for something else: a chance meeting in cyberspace.
When I was in journalism school, back in the Jurassic Age, we Baby Boomers heard a lot of dire predictions about the future of newspapers and print media. A lot of those predictions have come true. Afternoon editions have vanished in most places and readers are migrating to different media forms.
Broadcast media, especially television, was expected to reign supreme, certainly in terms of immediacy, and many pundits thought TV would swiftly replace newspapers entirely. That didn’t happen and now it looks like the tides are turning again, with online news, usually affiliated with a print newspaper, often scooping radio and TV news services that are focused on rigid broadcast times.
What we’re moving toward, Sun-News editor Jim Lawitz said recently, is a new generation of “mojos,” or mobile journalists, who rarely or never see a traditional newsroom, spending entire careers out in the field, with laptops and other state-of-the-art equipment that will allow us all to file reports directly online, complete with audio, video and still photography. Doing, in short, what many of us are doing with our iPhones and friends right now.
There are elements of deja vu in all this for me. I started my career in my early teens, at a time when there was a renewed emphasis on local news and reporting in the field, sometimes with an emphasis on first-person experiences.
We went to great lengths then, to try to get the real story. George Plimpton trained and sometimes actually played with football and hockey teams to share with readers what life was like among professional athletes.
In my early 20s, I enrolled in two high schools, impersonating a 17-year-old, to compare life at experimental and traditional schools.
These days, as mojos, I suspect, we’d most likely skip the subterfuge and just get out there as close as possible to the action, to share the sights and sounds with you all in cyberspace.
Will there be room in this brave new world, for words, still my medium of choice?
I think so.
I pondered it all during an early autumn vacation in northern New Mexico.
It has been said that we live in the only state where light photographs true, but I’ve yet to see a still or moving picture that really captures the transcendent experience of rosy adobe against high desert country sky. You need words to even attempt it, and phrases and concepts like electric blue and lapis lazuli, and poetic comparisons: Santa Fe looks like the work of a giant potter, displaying his ancient art in the sun.
There are many other experiences — sensual and emotional and intellectual and spiritual — which, I realized, couldn’t be truly conveyed with any online technology currently known to man.
Sometimes, a picture isn’t worth a thousand words. Sometimes, nothing but words will do, and even if it takes thousands of well-chosen words, the investment is worth it.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
If you’re a regular visitor to our Web site, www.lcsun-news.com, you’ve probably been noticing a lot of changes in the way we’re doing things, from continuous news updates to more video clips and photo galleries and blogs.
And our Web editor Tracy Patrick reports that more and more of you are spending time with us online. We’re getting about 1.3 million hits a month these days, including more than 30,000 of you who are checking us out for the first time, from locations all over the planet.
I see the changes personally in your e-mails and responses to my Las Cruces Style blog. (To get there: go to www.lcsun-news.com, click on the Blogzone and then on the Las Cruces Style icon.)
There is a lot more diversity in the people I’ve heard from in recent months. My day now can include an inquiry from a Midwestern teen who’s collecting things I’ve written about and comments from people from Alaska to Florida who are interested in moving here and want to learn a little more about what life is like in Las Cruces. Sometimes, I hear from an old high school amigo in Michigan or a long-lost college friend who has come across my byline while searching for something else: a chance meeting in cyberspace.
When I was in journalism school, back in the Jurassic Age, we Baby Boomers heard a lot of dire predictions about the future of newspapers and print media. A lot of those predictions have come true. Afternoon editions have vanished in most places and readers are migrating to different media forms.
Broadcast media, especially television, was expected to reign supreme, certainly in terms of immediacy, and many pundits thought TV would swiftly replace newspapers entirely. That didn’t happen and now it looks like the tides are turning again, with online news, usually affiliated with a print newspaper, often scooping radio and TV news services that are focused on rigid broadcast times.
What we’re moving toward, Sun-News editor Jim Lawitz said recently, is a new generation of “mojos,” or mobile journalists, who rarely or never see a traditional newsroom, spending entire careers out in the field, with laptops and other state-of-the-art equipment that will allow us all to file reports directly online, complete with audio, video and still photography. Doing, in short, what many of us are doing with our iPhones and friends right now.
There are elements of deja vu in all this for me. I started my career in my early teens, at a time when there was a renewed emphasis on local news and reporting in the field, sometimes with an emphasis on first-person experiences.
We went to great lengths then, to try to get the real story. George Plimpton trained and sometimes actually played with football and hockey teams to share with readers what life was like among professional athletes.
In my early 20s, I enrolled in two high schools, impersonating a 17-year-old, to compare life at experimental and traditional schools.
These days, as mojos, I suspect, we’d most likely skip the subterfuge and just get out there as close as possible to the action, to share the sights and sounds with you all in cyberspace.
Will there be room in this brave new world, for words, still my medium of choice?
I think so.
I pondered it all during an early autumn vacation in northern New Mexico.
It has been said that we live in the only state where light photographs true, but I’ve yet to see a still or moving picture that really captures the transcendent experience of rosy adobe against high desert country sky. You need words to even attempt it, and phrases and concepts like electric blue and lapis lazuli, and poetic comparisons: Santa Fe looks like the work of a giant potter, displaying his ancient art in the sun.
There are many other experiences — sensual and emotional and intellectual and spiritual — which, I realized, couldn’t be truly conveyed with any online technology currently known to man.
Sometimes, a picture isn’t worth a thousand words. Sometimes, nothing but words will do, and even if it takes thousands of well-chosen words, the investment is worth it.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Picks for the week
Think there's nothing to do in Las Cruces? Here's another full-tilt fiesta week's worth of fun stuff: It’s time to celebrate lives well lived with Dia de los Muertos events Saturday and Sunday in Mesilla. Build an altar on the Mesilla Plaza, join a Frida Kahlo lookalike parade or decorate a sugar skull. In Las Cruces, see Jose Tena’s memorial altar at the Branigan Cultural Center, carve a pumpkin, enjoy some spooky events during The Big Read or get out and catch some inspirational art openings and enjoy some Halloween fun for adults.
Here’s what’s happening.
Halloween Costume Ball tonight
If you like “Dancing With the Stars,” you might enjoy getting down with ghouls and more elegantly attired spirits at the Halloween Costume Ball from 7 to 10 p.m. today at Take Five, 705 N. Main St. Treats include dancing to a nine-piece orchestra, belly dancing, costume contests, prizes, a chocolate fountain and more. Admission is $10.
Pumpkin Carving Family Workshop
Bring the family to a workshop and get ideas for new ways to design and carve your own pumpkin creations Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. The workshop is $5 for a family of four. To preregister (required), call 522-4100.
Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Workshop
Learn to decorate traditional Dia de los Muertos sugar skulls at a two-day workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Cultural Center of Mesilla, 2231 Calle de Parian, next to the Mesilla Post Office. An apron or towel and comfortable dress are suggested. Supplies will be provided, but bring your own special and personal items to adorn skulls which are traditionally used in Mexico to decorate the altar of a deceased person. Workshop leader Patricia Camila Minjárez will discuss Day of the Dead traditions. Fee is $15 for adults and $7 for kids. For information, call 523-3988 or visit online at www.borderbookfestival.org
Last Saturday Artwalk at Hadley Galleries
There’s a new autumn schedule for Last Saturday Artwalks at galleries at Hadley Center at University Avenue and El Paseo Road. Artwalks will be from 1 to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Nov. 24 at the Glenn Cutter Jewelers and Gallery and the Patio Art Gallery. Meet artists and see their new works at special receptions. Catch Las Cruces icon Rosemary McLoughlin at Cutter's.
Big Read Spooktacular Events
Learn more about spooky and spectacular New Mexico traditions at several free events celebrating The Big Read. For more information on any of the following events, visit http://lib.nmsu.edu/bigread/ or call 646-6925 or 646-5792.
• Folklorist Nasario Garcia presents “Hispanic Fiestas of Yesteryear: From Food and Fun to Fisticuffs,” a lecture based on personal experiences, old-timers’ own words and tape-recorded music of years gone by at 3 p.m. Saturday at Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Ave.
• Nasario Garcia shares tales of buried treasures, the devil, the evil eye, the bogeyman and natural phenomena that were once the keystone of family entertainment in Hispanic villages of Northern New Mexico in “Would You Like to Meet the Devil, Bogeyman, or La Llorona?” at 7 p.m. Saturday at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum.
• NMSU professor Mary O’Connell and practicing curandera Cristina Villapardo present “Healing Herbs and the Curandera Tradition,” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Fabian Garcia Science Center Landscape Garden on University Avenue, 1⁄4 mile west of South Main Street.
• Historian Rick Hendricks will share his research on the themes of Catholic tradition and witchcraft in “Witchcraft and Religious Conflict in New Mexican History,” at noon Nov. 1, in the library associates room at Zuhl Library on the NMSU campus.
Weaving sale and celebration
View and purchase the latest weavings and other products from groups in Chiapas, Peru, and the southern New Mexico border region, and enjoy coffee and food treats when the Las Cruces - Chiapas Connection and Sophia’s Circle join to present the 3rd annual Celebration of Women’s Cooperative Groups from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Milagro Coffee & Espresso, 1733 E. University Ave. Special guests include Cecilia Santiago Vera, a social psychologist and supporter of the Other Campaign from Chiapas, Mexico, and Rachel Mehl, the alternative economy program coordinator for Mexico Solidarity Network. Sale proceeds support weavers and their families.
Halloween Art Show
Enjoy artistic tricks and treats for grownups at a Halloween Night Art Show from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Laughing at the Sun Gallery in the allegedly haunted Old Tortilla Factory, 1910 Calle de Parian in Mesilla.
Don't miss the singing, dancing dinosaurs! See review here
Here’s what’s happening.
Halloween Costume Ball tonight
If you like “Dancing With the Stars,” you might enjoy getting down with ghouls and more elegantly attired spirits at the Halloween Costume Ball from 7 to 10 p.m. today at Take Five, 705 N. Main St. Treats include dancing to a nine-piece orchestra, belly dancing, costume contests, prizes, a chocolate fountain and more. Admission is $10.
Pumpkin Carving Family Workshop
Bring the family to a workshop and get ideas for new ways to design and carve your own pumpkin creations Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. The workshop is $5 for a family of four. To preregister (required), call 522-4100.
Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Workshop
Learn to decorate traditional Dia de los Muertos sugar skulls at a two-day workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Cultural Center of Mesilla, 2231 Calle de Parian, next to the Mesilla Post Office. An apron or towel and comfortable dress are suggested. Supplies will be provided, but bring your own special and personal items to adorn skulls which are traditionally used in Mexico to decorate the altar of a deceased person. Workshop leader Patricia Camila Minjárez will discuss Day of the Dead traditions. Fee is $15 for adults and $7 for kids. For information, call 523-3988 or visit online at www.borderbookfestival.org
Last Saturday Artwalk at Hadley Galleries
There’s a new autumn schedule for Last Saturday Artwalks at galleries at Hadley Center at University Avenue and El Paseo Road. Artwalks will be from 1 to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Nov. 24 at the Glenn Cutter Jewelers and Gallery and the Patio Art Gallery. Meet artists and see their new works at special receptions. Catch Las Cruces icon Rosemary McLoughlin at Cutter's.
Big Read Spooktacular Events
Learn more about spooky and spectacular New Mexico traditions at several free events celebrating The Big Read. For more information on any of the following events, visit http://lib.nmsu.edu/bigread/ or call 646-6925 or 646-5792.
• Folklorist Nasario Garcia presents “Hispanic Fiestas of Yesteryear: From Food and Fun to Fisticuffs,” a lecture based on personal experiences, old-timers’ own words and tape-recorded music of years gone by at 3 p.m. Saturday at Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Ave.
• Nasario Garcia shares tales of buried treasures, the devil, the evil eye, the bogeyman and natural phenomena that were once the keystone of family entertainment in Hispanic villages of Northern New Mexico in “Would You Like to Meet the Devil, Bogeyman, or La Llorona?” at 7 p.m. Saturday at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum.
• NMSU professor Mary O’Connell and practicing curandera Cristina Villapardo present “Healing Herbs and the Curandera Tradition,” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Fabian Garcia Science Center Landscape Garden on University Avenue, 1⁄4 mile west of South Main Street.
• Historian Rick Hendricks will share his research on the themes of Catholic tradition and witchcraft in “Witchcraft and Religious Conflict in New Mexican History,” at noon Nov. 1, in the library associates room at Zuhl Library on the NMSU campus.
Weaving sale and celebration
View and purchase the latest weavings and other products from groups in Chiapas, Peru, and the southern New Mexico border region, and enjoy coffee and food treats when the Las Cruces - Chiapas Connection and Sophia’s Circle join to present the 3rd annual Celebration of Women’s Cooperative Groups from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Milagro Coffee & Espresso, 1733 E. University Ave. Special guests include Cecilia Santiago Vera, a social psychologist and supporter of the Other Campaign from Chiapas, Mexico, and Rachel Mehl, the alternative economy program coordinator for Mexico Solidarity Network. Sale proceeds support weavers and their families.
Halloween Art Show
Enjoy artistic tricks and treats for grownups at a Halloween Night Art Show from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Laughing at the Sun Gallery in the allegedly haunted Old Tortilla Factory, 1910 Calle de Parian in Mesilla.
Don't miss the singing, dancing dinosaurs! See review here
DINOSAURS IN LOVE
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — You’ll believe dinosaurs are capable of romance, and a wide range of other complex behaviors (including sibling rivalry and passionate tangos), if you are wise enough to go see “Extinction: A Love Story,” a musical about dinosaurs making its world premiere this week in Las Cruces at New Mexico State University’s Music Center Recital Hall.
There are gripping emotional encounters, touching love duets, bitter rivalries, a deeply moving death scene, humorous banter and elegant dances.
Bob Diven wrote the book, lyrics and music for the tale of six paleontologists who morph into surprisingly similar dinosaur counterparts.
Their adventures take us back 65 million years to the New Mexico desert, when big changes are in store.
A talented team collaborated to create a thoroughly enjoyable production.
Returning New York-based professional entertainers with NMSU connections, opera singer Jessica Medoff Bunchman and dancer, singer and choreographer Isaac Quiroga, star in an intriguing love triangle with Ian Sidden, an NMSU graduate student in voice, who more than holds his own with the pros. Sidden’s rich voice and confident bluster make his cocky T-Rex a convincing dino babe magnet.
He lures his love with the offer of a mega hunk of decaying meat.
“Ooh, a haunch! You remembered,” purrs the object of his affection, as the two join in the show’s show-stopping song-and-dance number, the passionate “Carnivores in Love” tango.
But Medoff Bunchman’s Albertosaurus finds herself tempted to leave her top-of-the-food-chain lover when she finds a soulmate in a herbivore named Bob (Quiroga), a lovesick hadrosaur.
Ashley Foster and Brandon Brown provide comic relief as the squabbling, hyperactive brother and sister of the genus ornithomimus. Richard Rundell, portraying the last remaining pentaceratops, is the sage and elder of the group. His moving farewell aria is reminiscent of Grizabella’s “Memories” in “Cats.”
Deserving of co-starring accolades for the production’s success are Mark Medoff’s sensitive direction, Debra Knapp’s eloquent choreography and Deb Brunson’s sets and wonderful costumes.
Everything works together, as the actors skillfully move within their roles and imaginative outfits to convey complex emotions and navigate challenging musical production numbers. These are no one-trick prehistoric beasts; these dinos have range.
Diven’s creative script and music offer lots of opportunities for the cast to strut their diverse skills. Numbers range from musical comedy ensemble pieces and a lively spiritual to duets and trios with complex and lovely harmonies and solos that focus on messages both subtle and dramatic.
And characters, both in homo sapiens and dino forms, grapple with some disturbingly relevant concepts as they struggle to “see who makes the cut” to “escape the existential rut” and the last of a dying breed mourns “young ones left behind, in a world too vast to be kind.”
As Diven noted, “Like the Titanic, we all know how this story ends,” but he manages to leave the audience with some encouraging thoughts: the upside of extinction can be some intriguing evolution. And both humans and dinos reach the same carpe diem conclusion: “If it all ends tomorrow, life is beautiful today.”
Substantial contributions come from musical direction by Shanelle Jernigan, an NMSU alum who is currently visiting from Ohio, and lighting designer Gerald Kottman. His shadow effects reinforce the dinosaur illusions skillfully conveyed by the cast and crew.
“Extinction” is a great all-ages show. A class of Vista Middle School students gave the production rave reviews and a standing ovation at a dress rehearsal. Kids will love the costumes and antics and adults should find much to appreciate, too, including Medoff Bunchman’s expressive delivery and truly beautiful voice, Quiroga’s graceful moves and Diven’s sly wit.
The musical, developed in NMSU collaborate summer theater workshops, combines resources and talents from the Las Cruces community and from Creative Media Institute for Film and Digital Arts, the Doña Ana Lyric Opera and the NMSU Department of Music.
Tickets, at $15 or $5 for NMSU students, will be available at the Pan American Center box office at (575) 646-1420, through the F.Y.E. store in the Mesilla Valley Mall, from Ticketmaster at (575) 532-2060 or www.ticketmaster.com or at the door at NMSU Music Center Recital Hall on performance nights at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — You’ll believe dinosaurs are capable of romance, and a wide range of other complex behaviors (including sibling rivalry and passionate tangos), if you are wise enough to go see “Extinction: A Love Story,” a musical about dinosaurs making its world premiere this week in Las Cruces at New Mexico State University’s Music Center Recital Hall.
There are gripping emotional encounters, touching love duets, bitter rivalries, a deeply moving death scene, humorous banter and elegant dances.
Bob Diven wrote the book, lyrics and music for the tale of six paleontologists who morph into surprisingly similar dinosaur counterparts.
Their adventures take us back 65 million years to the New Mexico desert, when big changes are in store.
A talented team collaborated to create a thoroughly enjoyable production.
Returning New York-based professional entertainers with NMSU connections, opera singer Jessica Medoff Bunchman and dancer, singer and choreographer Isaac Quiroga, star in an intriguing love triangle with Ian Sidden, an NMSU graduate student in voice, who more than holds his own with the pros. Sidden’s rich voice and confident bluster make his cocky T-Rex a convincing dino babe magnet.
He lures his love with the offer of a mega hunk of decaying meat.
“Ooh, a haunch! You remembered,” purrs the object of his affection, as the two join in the show’s show-stopping song-and-dance number, the passionate “Carnivores in Love” tango.
But Medoff Bunchman’s Albertosaurus finds herself tempted to leave her top-of-the-food-chain lover when she finds a soulmate in a herbivore named Bob (Quiroga), a lovesick hadrosaur.
Ashley Foster and Brandon Brown provide comic relief as the squabbling, hyperactive brother and sister of the genus ornithomimus. Richard Rundell, portraying the last remaining pentaceratops, is the sage and elder of the group. His moving farewell aria is reminiscent of Grizabella’s “Memories” in “Cats.”
Deserving of co-starring accolades for the production’s success are Mark Medoff’s sensitive direction, Debra Knapp’s eloquent choreography and Deb Brunson’s sets and wonderful costumes.
Everything works together, as the actors skillfully move within their roles and imaginative outfits to convey complex emotions and navigate challenging musical production numbers. These are no one-trick prehistoric beasts; these dinos have range.
Diven’s creative script and music offer lots of opportunities for the cast to strut their diverse skills. Numbers range from musical comedy ensemble pieces and a lively spiritual to duets and trios with complex and lovely harmonies and solos that focus on messages both subtle and dramatic.
And characters, both in homo sapiens and dino forms, grapple with some disturbingly relevant concepts as they struggle to “see who makes the cut” to “escape the existential rut” and the last of a dying breed mourns “young ones left behind, in a world too vast to be kind.”
As Diven noted, “Like the Titanic, we all know how this story ends,” but he manages to leave the audience with some encouraging thoughts: the upside of extinction can be some intriguing evolution. And both humans and dinos reach the same carpe diem conclusion: “If it all ends tomorrow, life is beautiful today.”
Substantial contributions come from musical direction by Shanelle Jernigan, an NMSU alum who is currently visiting from Ohio, and lighting designer Gerald Kottman. His shadow effects reinforce the dinosaur illusions skillfully conveyed by the cast and crew.
“Extinction” is a great all-ages show. A class of Vista Middle School students gave the production rave reviews and a standing ovation at a dress rehearsal. Kids will love the costumes and antics and adults should find much to appreciate, too, including Medoff Bunchman’s expressive delivery and truly beautiful voice, Quiroga’s graceful moves and Diven’s sly wit.
The musical, developed in NMSU collaborate summer theater workshops, combines resources and talents from the Las Cruces community and from Creative Media Institute for Film and Digital Arts, the Doña Ana Lyric Opera and the NMSU Department of Music.
Tickets, at $15 or $5 for NMSU students, will be available at the Pan American Center box office at (575) 646-1420, through the F.Y.E. store in the Mesilla Valley Mall, from Ticketmaster at (575) 532-2060 or www.ticketmaster.com or at the door at NMSU Music Center Recital Hall on performance nights at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Monday, October 22, 2007
More movie casting opportunities
For those unable to attend last Saturday's casting cast for "The Burning Plain," casting directors have just informed me that there are some online possibilities.
They ask you to send a headshot along with name, age, phone number, height, weight and hair color to :
lexnfernLasCruces@gmail.com.
They ask you to send a headshot along with name, age, phone number, height, weight and hair color to :
lexnfernLasCruces@gmail.com.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Hundreds of extras needed for movie
Directors of the movie "Burning Plain" will be looking for as many as 500 extras.
"We're looking for a range of 300-500 people," said Fernando Echeverri, one of the film's directors. "And we believe we'll be able to put them all to work."
Echeverri said the extras will be paid between $8.50 and $10 an hour for their work during filming, which will take place between Nov. 4 through Dec. 18 in the Las Cruces area.
"We're looking for a range of 300-500 people," said Fernando Echeverri, one of the film's directors. "And we believe we'll be able to put them all to work."
Echeverri said the extras will be paid between $8.50 and $10 an hour for their work during filming, which will take place between Nov. 4 through Dec. 18 in the Las Cruces area.
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Downlow on Dia de los Muertos
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — Dia de los Muertos has been called “a day when heaven and earth meet” and “a celebration of lives well lived.”
In Las Cruces, it has become a beloved tradition, a time when Borderland cultures blend, showcasing and sometimes creatively combining Spanish, Mexican, Native American and Anglo customs and beliefs.
Dia De Los Muertos “is not a morbid holiday but a festive remembrance of Los Angelitos (children) and all souls (Los Difuntos),” according to a statement from The Calavera Coalition of Mesilla. “This celebration originated with the indigenous people of the American continent, the Aztec, Mayan, Toltec and the Inca. Now, many of the festivities have been transformed from their original pre-Hispanic origins. It is still celebrated throughout North America among Native American tribes. The Spanish arrived and they altered the celebration to coincide with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2).”
Continuing a Las Cruces Style tradition, here is a guide to some important terms and concepts relating to Day of the Dead celebrations.
alfeñique: Molded sugar figures used in altars for the dead.
ancianos: Grandparents or elderly friends or relatives who have died; ancestors honored during the first (north) part of processions for Day of the Dead.
angelitos: Literally "little angels;" refers to departed children and babies, traditionally honored during the first day of celebrations, Nov. 1, and the third (south) part of processions honoring the dead.
anima sola: A lonely soul or spirit who died far from home or who is without amigos or relatives to take responsibility for its care.
calascas: Handmade skeleton figurines which display an active and joyful afterlife, such as musicians or skeleton brides and grooms in wedding finery.
calaveras: Skeletons, used in many ways for celebrations: bread and candies in the shape of skeletons are traditional, along with everything from small and large figures and decorations, skeleton head rattles, candles, masks, jewelry and T-shirts. It’s also the term for skull masks, often painted with bright colors and flowers and used in displays and worn in Day of the Dead processions.
literary calaveras: are poetic tributes written for departed loved ones or things mourned and/or as mock epitaphs.
copal: A fragrant resin from a Mexican tree used as incense, burned alone or mixed with sage in processions in honor of the dead.
Dias de los Muertos: Days of the dead, usually celebrated on Nov. through 3 in conjunction with All Souls Days or Todos Santos, the Catholic Feast of All Saints. Various Borderland communities, including Las Cruces, have their own celebration schedules in October and November.
Difunto: Deceased soul, corpse, cadaver.
La Flaca: Nickname for the female death figure, also known as La Muerte.
Frida Kahlo: Mexican artist who collected objects related to the Day of the Dead. Her photo often appears in Dia De Los Muertos shrines or retablos.
Los Guerreros: Literally, “the warriors,” are dead fathers, husbands, brothers and sons honored in the final (east) stop in Dia De Los Muertos processions.
marigolds: In Mexico, marigolds or "cempasuchil" are officially known as the "flower of the dead." The flowers are added to processional wreaths at each stop, with one blossom representing each departed soul being honored. Sometimes marigold pedals are strewn from the cemetery to a house. Their pungent fragrance is said to help the spirits find their way back home. Sometimes mums and paper flowers are also used.
mariposas: Butterflies, and sometimes hummingbirds, appear with skeletons to symbolize the flight of the soul from the body to heaven.
masks: Carried or worn during processions and other activities, masks can range from white face paint to simple molded plaster or papier-maché creations or elaborate painted or carved versions that become family heirlooms.
Las Mujeres: The women who have died are honored during the second (west) stop of Day of the Dead processions. After names of dead mothers, daughters, sisters and friends are called and honored, it is traditional for the crowd to sing a song for the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Náhuatl poetry: Traditional odes dedicated to the subject of death, dating back to the pre-Columbian era.
ofrenda: Traditional altar where offerings such as flowers, clothing, food, photographs and objects loved by the departed are placed. The ofrenda may be constructed in the home—usually in the dining room—at a cemetery, or may be carried in a procession. The ofrenda base is usually an arch made of bent reeds. It is ornamented with special decorations, sometimes with heirlooms collected by families much like Christmas ornaments. Decorations may include skeleton figures, toys and musical instruments in addition to offerings for a specific loved one.
pan de muertos: Literally, “bread of the dead." It is traditionally baked in the shape of a skull—calavera—and dusted with pink sugar. Here, local bakeries sometimes include red and green chile decorations.
papel picado: Decorations made of colored paper cut in intricate patterns.
Posada: Jose Guadalupe Posada, the self-taught “printmaker to the people,” and caricaturist was known for his whimsical calaveras, or skeletons, depicted wearing dapper clothes, playing instruments and otherwise nonchalantly conducting their everyday activities, sometimes riding on horse skeletons.
veladores: Professional mourners who help in the grief process in several ways, including candlelight vigils, prayers and with dramatic weeping and wailing.
Xolotlitzcuintle: Monster dog, sometimes depicted as a canine skeleton, sometimes as a Mexican hairless breed. Since pre-Columbian times, this Dia de los Muertos doggy has, according to legend, been the departed’s friend, helping with the tests of the perilous crossing of the River Chiconauapan to Mictlan, the land of the dead.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — Dia de los Muertos has been called “a day when heaven and earth meet” and “a celebration of lives well lived.”
In Las Cruces, it has become a beloved tradition, a time when Borderland cultures blend, showcasing and sometimes creatively combining Spanish, Mexican, Native American and Anglo customs and beliefs.
Dia De Los Muertos “is not a morbid holiday but a festive remembrance of Los Angelitos (children) and all souls (Los Difuntos),” according to a statement from The Calavera Coalition of Mesilla. “This celebration originated with the indigenous people of the American continent, the Aztec, Mayan, Toltec and the Inca. Now, many of the festivities have been transformed from their original pre-Hispanic origins. It is still celebrated throughout North America among Native American tribes. The Spanish arrived and they altered the celebration to coincide with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2).”
Continuing a Las Cruces Style tradition, here is a guide to some important terms and concepts relating to Day of the Dead celebrations.
alfeñique: Molded sugar figures used in altars for the dead.
ancianos: Grandparents or elderly friends or relatives who have died; ancestors honored during the first (north) part of processions for Day of the Dead.
angelitos: Literally "little angels;" refers to departed children and babies, traditionally honored during the first day of celebrations, Nov. 1, and the third (south) part of processions honoring the dead.
anima sola: A lonely soul or spirit who died far from home or who is without amigos or relatives to take responsibility for its care.
calascas: Handmade skeleton figurines which display an active and joyful afterlife, such as musicians or skeleton brides and grooms in wedding finery.
calaveras: Skeletons, used in many ways for celebrations: bread and candies in the shape of skeletons are traditional, along with everything from small and large figures and decorations, skeleton head rattles, candles, masks, jewelry and T-shirts. It’s also the term for skull masks, often painted with bright colors and flowers and used in displays and worn in Day of the Dead processions.
literary calaveras: are poetic tributes written for departed loved ones or things mourned and/or as mock epitaphs.
copal: A fragrant resin from a Mexican tree used as incense, burned alone or mixed with sage in processions in honor of the dead.
Dias de los Muertos: Days of the dead, usually celebrated on Nov. through 3 in conjunction with All Souls Days or Todos Santos, the Catholic Feast of All Saints. Various Borderland communities, including Las Cruces, have their own celebration schedules in October and November.
Difunto: Deceased soul, corpse, cadaver.
La Flaca: Nickname for the female death figure, also known as La Muerte.
Frida Kahlo: Mexican artist who collected objects related to the Day of the Dead. Her photo often appears in Dia De Los Muertos shrines or retablos.
Los Guerreros: Literally, “the warriors,” are dead fathers, husbands, brothers and sons honored in the final (east) stop in Dia De Los Muertos processions.
marigolds: In Mexico, marigolds or "cempasuchil" are officially known as the "flower of the dead." The flowers are added to processional wreaths at each stop, with one blossom representing each departed soul being honored. Sometimes marigold pedals are strewn from the cemetery to a house. Their pungent fragrance is said to help the spirits find their way back home. Sometimes mums and paper flowers are also used.
mariposas: Butterflies, and sometimes hummingbirds, appear with skeletons to symbolize the flight of the soul from the body to heaven.
masks: Carried or worn during processions and other activities, masks can range from white face paint to simple molded plaster or papier-maché creations or elaborate painted or carved versions that become family heirlooms.
Las Mujeres: The women who have died are honored during the second (west) stop of Day of the Dead processions. After names of dead mothers, daughters, sisters and friends are called and honored, it is traditional for the crowd to sing a song for the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Náhuatl poetry: Traditional odes dedicated to the subject of death, dating back to the pre-Columbian era.
ofrenda: Traditional altar where offerings such as flowers, clothing, food, photographs and objects loved by the departed are placed. The ofrenda may be constructed in the home—usually in the dining room—at a cemetery, or may be carried in a procession. The ofrenda base is usually an arch made of bent reeds. It is ornamented with special decorations, sometimes with heirlooms collected by families much like Christmas ornaments. Decorations may include skeleton figures, toys and musical instruments in addition to offerings for a specific loved one.
pan de muertos: Literally, “bread of the dead." It is traditionally baked in the shape of a skull—calavera—and dusted with pink sugar. Here, local bakeries sometimes include red and green chile decorations.
papel picado: Decorations made of colored paper cut in intricate patterns.
Posada: Jose Guadalupe Posada, the self-taught “printmaker to the people,” and caricaturist was known for his whimsical calaveras, or skeletons, depicted wearing dapper clothes, playing instruments and otherwise nonchalantly conducting their everyday activities, sometimes riding on horse skeletons.
veladores: Professional mourners who help in the grief process in several ways, including candlelight vigils, prayers and with dramatic weeping and wailing.
Xolotlitzcuintle: Monster dog, sometimes depicted as a canine skeleton, sometimes as a Mexican hairless breed. Since pre-Columbian times, this Dia de los Muertos doggy has, according to legend, been the departed’s friend, helping with the tests of the perilous crossing of the River Chiconauapan to Mictlan, the land of the dead.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Dia de Los Muertos...¿Que Pasa?
Here's what's happeing for Day of the Dead in the Borderlands. If you're a newcomer, see the downlow posting for the basics on customs and traditions.
If you go ...
• Mesilla Dia de los Muertos celebration
What: Altar building, music, dance, parade, food treats, activities for kids and arts vendors
Where: Mesilla Plaza
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 27 and 28. Begin building altars (free) at 8 a.m. Saturday Oct. 27
Closing procession: at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 on Mesilla Plaza. Costumes, instruments and noisemakers welcome
How much: Free, but donations of canned food for the needy are appreciated.
Info: Preciliana Sandoval, 647-2639 or Peggy King, 647-3347
Vendor applications: La Morena, Preciliana’s Gallery and La Paz Imports, 2488 Calle Principal in Mesilla
• Frida Kahlo Look-alike Contest
Where: Old Tortilla Factory, 1910 Calle de Mesilla
When: 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday Oct. 27
Prizes: Gift basket from Old Tortilla Factory shops and galleries
Info: 541-9693 or 642-4312
• Jose Tena’s Dia de los Muertos altar
Where: Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., Downtown Mall
Honoring: Mexican cowboy star Antonio Aguilar, and Tena’s father Jose Antonio Tena
When: Oct. 29 to Nov. 6. Center hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday
How much: Free
Info: 541-2155
• Dia de los Muertos Altar Honoring Extinct Animals
Where: Las Cruces Museum of Natural History at the Mesilla Valley Mall
When: Altar goes up Oct. 26. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday
How much: Free
Info: 522-3120
• El Paso Dia de los Muertos Celebration
When & Where: 6 to 11 p.m. Nov. 2, Union Plaza, El Paso, other events Nov. 1, 2 and 3 at various venues
Who: City of El Paso Museums and Cultural affairs Department, Cuidad Juarez
Highlights: Live entertainment, lectures, children’s theater, mock funeral procession, arts and crafts, altars, traditional food treats, “Culture Cruise to Die For” gallery tours, new Mercada de los Huesos (Bones Market) showcasing artists from both sides of the Border
How much? Most events are free
Info:www.elpasotexas.gov/mcad/dia
• Dia de los Muertos Art and Music Street Fest
When: 6 p.m. doors open, music starts at 7 p.m. Nov. 1
Where: Zeppelin’s Pub and The Black Market, 111 E. Robinson St. in El Paso
Highlights: Poetry and art, music by Elijah Emmanuel, Radio La Chusma, Royal Mudd, Fixed Idea, Liquid Cheese, local DJs
How much? $7 at the door
How to build an altar
(Source: Preciliana Sandoval, Calavera Coalition)
Suggested items to place on your altar:
• A structure with three levels (symbolizes the Holy Trinity and Azteca tradition honoring “above, below and within” )
• There should be four sides, honoring the four directions
• Plus: Salt to spice the afterlife, an inviting glass of water, to quench the thirst of an entire year, their favorite meal, drink, smoke, snacks, the symbols of their occupations and hobbies.
• Other traditional items include photos of departed loved ones, marigolds, incense, pan de muertos (dead bread) and candies in the shape of skulls.
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
MESILLA — ¡Viva Dia de los Muertos!
Get ready for two weeks of Dia de los Muertos celebrations in the Borderland with fiestas and special events that start Saturday in Mesilla and continue through early November in Southern New Mexico, El Paso and Cuidad Juarez. Dead Day highlights range from a Frida Kahlo look-alike parade in Mesilla to a “Bone Market” in El Paso.
This year, local Day of the Dead activities begin with a fiesta and altar building, Saturday and Oct. 28 on Mesilla’s Plaza.
“I can’t believe it’s been 13 years since our first celebration here,” said Preciliana Sandoval, who founded the Mesilla celebration in 1995 with volunteer members of a nonprofit group called the Calavera Coalition.
Sandoval said she has been amazed by the public’s response to the event.
“It’s so much fun and you get to meet so many people. It’s been a wonderful and very emotional experience for many people, including me. Every year, people who build altars and join the processions and celebrations, come to us volunteers crying and hugging and say, ‘Thank you for doing this. You have helped me grieve.’ You never realize how much grief affects you and how much grief you carry through life. Celebrating Dia de los Muertos has helped me deal with it,” Sandoval said.
Some aspects of the celebration, with its merry skeletons and dark humor, can be a shock for newcomers.
Mike Walczak, manager of the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History, said one of the first things he saw when he arrived at his new post was the museum’s annual Dia de los Muertos altar honoring extinct animals.
“It was rather strange for me, coming from the East Coast. I’d never seen anything like that in Baltimore. But I learned about the Day of the Dead and I love it,” said Walczak, who reports the animal altar will be up by Friday Oct. 26 at the museum in the Mesilla Valley Mall.
Sandoval, an artist and storyteller who is a native of Mesilla, said she has spent years studying the roots and customs of Borderland Day of the Dead celebrations.
“According to ancient Aztec tradition of honoring our deceased loved ones, it is believed that each soul has the divine right to visit us one day each year, symbolically: the children on the first day of November and the adults on Nov. 2. In Mesilla, on Oct. 27 and 28, we will transform the entire plaza into a makeshift cemetery where anyone can erect an ofrenda, or altar, to honor his or her loved ones,” Sandoval said.
Traditionally, altars can include almost anything related to the life of the departed friend, relative or even a pet. Altars often include photos, letters and a sampling of the difunto’s (dead person’s) favorite things, from a cigar or a favorite food or drinks to books, CDs, toys or articles of clothing.
Altar building will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday on the Mesilla Plaza. Oct. 27.
“There is no charge to build an altar, but we do request three cans of non-perishable food for donation to the Casa de Peregrinos Food Bank. And we request that you leave the altars overnight and we’ll provide security,” Sandoval said.
The festival, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 on the Mesilla Plaza, will also include music, dance, food treats, activities for kids and arts vendors.
Mesilla’s 2007 poster features art by internationally known papel picado (cut paper) artist Catalina Delgado-Trunk, a former Las Cruces resident who now lives in Albuquerque. Also featured will be original works by regional artists and students from Las Cruces High School and Alma d’arte High School for the Arts.
A newer Dead Day tradition is a local tribute to famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who is credited with popularizing Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico and elsewhere.
“We’ve had Frida Kahlo Look-Alike Contests for the past two years. This year, we’re going to attempt to create a new category in the Guinness Book of World Records, for the world’s largest parade of Frida look-alikes. For this event, ALL participants will dress up like Frida Kahlo and march in a short parade along a route that will be announced the day of the event, from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 27,” said Georjeanna Feltha, owner of Black Gold From the Sun at the Old Tortilla Factory, 1910 Calle de Parian in Mesilla, where Frida wannabes are asked to gather.
“Prizes will be given for the most convincing interpretation of our beloved Frida,” Feltha said.
Mesilla’s Dias de los Muertos celebrations end with a candlelight procession from San Albino Cemetery to the Mesilla Plaza beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 2. Participants are invited to come in costume and bring musical instruments or noisemakers.
“This year we’ll also have a float with Johnny Flores,” Sandoval said.
Jose Tena, founder of Ballet Folklorico de la Tierra del Encanta, will create his 14th Dia de Los Muertos altar this year, using his collection of art and artifacts.
“This year, I’ll be honoring Antonio Aguilar, known as El Charro Mexicana. He was Mexico’s cowboy star and a singer and actor. And I’ll also honor my dad, Jose Antonio Tena, who died in December. He was 93,” Tena said.
The altar will be on display Oct. 29 through Nov. 6 at Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday. For information, call 541-21555 or visit online at www.las-cruces.org/public services/museums
El Paso and Cuidad Juarez will join for a three-day binational celebration of Día de los Muertos from Nov. 1 through 3 at various locations in both border cities. Events for adults and children will include live entertainment, lectures, children’s theater, an arts and crafts market featuring artists and artisans from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, a mock funeral procession with professional actors, altars and more.
A free Dia de los Muertos celebration, from 6 to 11 p.m. Nov. 2 at Union Plaza located in Downtown El Paso between City Hall and the Historic Union Depot, will include a concert, lectures, kids’ arts and crafts displays, altars, homemade pan de muerto and the new Mercada de los Hueso (Bones Market), showcasing artists from both sides of the Border. A “Culture Cruise to Die For” will offer a free arts hop through galleries, museums and other venues showcasing Dia de los Muertos themes from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 1 in Downtown El Paso. Nov. 3 events will include special activities for kids, dance, theater, multimedia presentations and more at sites throughout El Paso. For information and a complete schedule of events, visit online at www.elpasotexas.gov/mcad/dia
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
If you go ...
• Mesilla Dia de los Muertos celebration
What: Altar building, music, dance, parade, food treats, activities for kids and arts vendors
Where: Mesilla Plaza
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 27 and 28. Begin building altars (free) at 8 a.m. Saturday Oct. 27
Closing procession: at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 on Mesilla Plaza. Costumes, instruments and noisemakers welcome
How much: Free, but donations of canned food for the needy are appreciated.
Info: Preciliana Sandoval, 647-2639 or Peggy King, 647-3347
Vendor applications: La Morena, Preciliana’s Gallery and La Paz Imports, 2488 Calle Principal in Mesilla
• Frida Kahlo Look-alike Contest
Where: Old Tortilla Factory, 1910 Calle de Mesilla
When: 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday Oct. 27
Prizes: Gift basket from Old Tortilla Factory shops and galleries
Info: 541-9693 or 642-4312
• Jose Tena’s Dia de los Muertos altar
Where: Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St., Downtown Mall
Honoring: Mexican cowboy star Antonio Aguilar, and Tena’s father Jose Antonio Tena
When: Oct. 29 to Nov. 6. Center hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday
How much: Free
Info: 541-2155
• Dia de los Muertos Altar Honoring Extinct Animals
Where: Las Cruces Museum of Natural History at the Mesilla Valley Mall
When: Altar goes up Oct. 26. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday
How much: Free
Info: 522-3120
• El Paso Dia de los Muertos Celebration
When & Where: 6 to 11 p.m. Nov. 2, Union Plaza, El Paso, other events Nov. 1, 2 and 3 at various venues
Who: City of El Paso Museums and Cultural affairs Department, Cuidad Juarez
Highlights: Live entertainment, lectures, children’s theater, mock funeral procession, arts and crafts, altars, traditional food treats, “Culture Cruise to Die For” gallery tours, new Mercada de los Huesos (Bones Market) showcasing artists from both sides of the Border
How much? Most events are free
Info:www.elpasotexas.gov/mcad/dia
• Dia de los Muertos Art and Music Street Fest
When: 6 p.m. doors open, music starts at 7 p.m. Nov. 1
Where: Zeppelin’s Pub and The Black Market, 111 E. Robinson St. in El Paso
Highlights: Poetry and art, music by Elijah Emmanuel, Radio La Chusma, Royal Mudd, Fixed Idea, Liquid Cheese, local DJs
How much? $7 at the door
How to build an altar
(Source: Preciliana Sandoval, Calavera Coalition)
Suggested items to place on your altar:
• A structure with three levels (symbolizes the Holy Trinity and Azteca tradition honoring “above, below and within” )
• There should be four sides, honoring the four directions
• Plus: Salt to spice the afterlife, an inviting glass of water, to quench the thirst of an entire year, their favorite meal, drink, smoke, snacks, the symbols of their occupations and hobbies.
• Other traditional items include photos of departed loved ones, marigolds, incense, pan de muertos (dead bread) and candies in the shape of skulls.
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
MESILLA — ¡Viva Dia de los Muertos!
Get ready for two weeks of Dia de los Muertos celebrations in the Borderland with fiestas and special events that start Saturday in Mesilla and continue through early November in Southern New Mexico, El Paso and Cuidad Juarez. Dead Day highlights range from a Frida Kahlo look-alike parade in Mesilla to a “Bone Market” in El Paso.
This year, local Day of the Dead activities begin with a fiesta and altar building, Saturday and Oct. 28 on Mesilla’s Plaza.
“I can’t believe it’s been 13 years since our first celebration here,” said Preciliana Sandoval, who founded the Mesilla celebration in 1995 with volunteer members of a nonprofit group called the Calavera Coalition.
Sandoval said she has been amazed by the public’s response to the event.
“It’s so much fun and you get to meet so many people. It’s been a wonderful and very emotional experience for many people, including me. Every year, people who build altars and join the processions and celebrations, come to us volunteers crying and hugging and say, ‘Thank you for doing this. You have helped me grieve.’ You never realize how much grief affects you and how much grief you carry through life. Celebrating Dia de los Muertos has helped me deal with it,” Sandoval said.
Some aspects of the celebration, with its merry skeletons and dark humor, can be a shock for newcomers.
Mike Walczak, manager of the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History, said one of the first things he saw when he arrived at his new post was the museum’s annual Dia de los Muertos altar honoring extinct animals.
“It was rather strange for me, coming from the East Coast. I’d never seen anything like that in Baltimore. But I learned about the Day of the Dead and I love it,” said Walczak, who reports the animal altar will be up by Friday Oct. 26 at the museum in the Mesilla Valley Mall.
Sandoval, an artist and storyteller who is a native of Mesilla, said she has spent years studying the roots and customs of Borderland Day of the Dead celebrations.
“According to ancient Aztec tradition of honoring our deceased loved ones, it is believed that each soul has the divine right to visit us one day each year, symbolically: the children on the first day of November and the adults on Nov. 2. In Mesilla, on Oct. 27 and 28, we will transform the entire plaza into a makeshift cemetery where anyone can erect an ofrenda, or altar, to honor his or her loved ones,” Sandoval said.
Traditionally, altars can include almost anything related to the life of the departed friend, relative or even a pet. Altars often include photos, letters and a sampling of the difunto’s (dead person’s) favorite things, from a cigar or a favorite food or drinks to books, CDs, toys or articles of clothing.
Altar building will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday on the Mesilla Plaza. Oct. 27.
“There is no charge to build an altar, but we do request three cans of non-perishable food for donation to the Casa de Peregrinos Food Bank. And we request that you leave the altars overnight and we’ll provide security,” Sandoval said.
The festival, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 on the Mesilla Plaza, will also include music, dance, food treats, activities for kids and arts vendors.
Mesilla’s 2007 poster features art by internationally known papel picado (cut paper) artist Catalina Delgado-Trunk, a former Las Cruces resident who now lives in Albuquerque. Also featured will be original works by regional artists and students from Las Cruces High School and Alma d’arte High School for the Arts.
A newer Dead Day tradition is a local tribute to famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who is credited with popularizing Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico and elsewhere.
“We’ve had Frida Kahlo Look-Alike Contests for the past two years. This year, we’re going to attempt to create a new category in the Guinness Book of World Records, for the world’s largest parade of Frida look-alikes. For this event, ALL participants will dress up like Frida Kahlo and march in a short parade along a route that will be announced the day of the event, from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 27,” said Georjeanna Feltha, owner of Black Gold From the Sun at the Old Tortilla Factory, 1910 Calle de Parian in Mesilla, where Frida wannabes are asked to gather.
“Prizes will be given for the most convincing interpretation of our beloved Frida,” Feltha said.
Mesilla’s Dias de los Muertos celebrations end with a candlelight procession from San Albino Cemetery to the Mesilla Plaza beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 2. Participants are invited to come in costume and bring musical instruments or noisemakers.
“This year we’ll also have a float with Johnny Flores,” Sandoval said.
Jose Tena, founder of Ballet Folklorico de la Tierra del Encanta, will create his 14th Dia de Los Muertos altar this year, using his collection of art and artifacts.
“This year, I’ll be honoring Antonio Aguilar, known as El Charro Mexicana. He was Mexico’s cowboy star and a singer and actor. And I’ll also honor my dad, Jose Antonio Tena, who died in December. He was 93,” Tena said.
The altar will be on display Oct. 29 through Nov. 6 at Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday. For information, call 541-21555 or visit online at www.las-cruces.org/public services/museums
El Paso and Cuidad Juarez will join for a three-day binational celebration of Día de los Muertos from Nov. 1 through 3 at various locations in both border cities. Events for adults and children will include live entertainment, lectures, children’s theater, an arts and crafts market featuring artists and artisans from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, a mock funeral procession with professional actors, altars and more.
A free Dia de los Muertos celebration, from 6 to 11 p.m. Nov. 2 at Union Plaza located in Downtown El Paso between City Hall and the Historic Union Depot, will include a concert, lectures, kids’ arts and crafts displays, altars, homemade pan de muerto and the new Mercada de los Hueso (Bones Market), showcasing artists from both sides of the Border. A “Culture Cruise to Die For” will offer a free arts hop through galleries, museums and other venues showcasing Dia de los Muertos themes from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 1 in Downtown El Paso. Nov. 3 events will include special activities for kids, dance, theater, multimedia presentations and more at sites throughout El Paso. For information and a complete schedule of events, visit online at www.elpasotexas.gov/mcad/dia
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Friday, October 5, 2007
Are you into gore decor?
LAS CRUCES — Las Crucens are crazy about costumes and gore decor.
And they aren’t alone. Americans will spend more than $5 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted in September, with the average person spending almost $65. Most of that will go, not for candy, but for decorating our homes and ourselves, including costumes for our kids, adults and even our pets.
Almost three-fourths of us will hand out treats, spending an average of about $20 for goodies, according to the survey, compared to almost $18 on decorations and more than $23 on costumes. Guess who will spend the most on costumes? The big bucks aren’t going to festoon those adorable little princesses, pirates and superheroes who show up on our doorstops. The big spenders are 18- to 24-year-olds who plan to spring for $35 for fantasy garb.
In the 1950s and ’60s, my prime trick or treating years, I don’t remember anyone much over 12 or 13 dressing up for Halloween. There were a few good sports — the odd teacher or scout leader and maybe the one or two people in the neighborhood who made a big deal of Halloween — who would dress up and maybe add some kind of door decoration in addition to the obligatory jack-’o-lantern. But you always felt they were doing it all in the line of duty, because they wanted kids to have a good time. I don’t remember adults or even older kids having their own parties and celebrations on Oct. 31.
All that has changed … a lot. Trust me, I know. I’ve been in the Halloween front lines for more than a decade now. With chronic costume aficionados (mostly adults) preparing for Halloween, Dia de los Muertos and RenFaire every year, dressing up is a big deal here. When I started in the mid-1990s, researching the annual costume outlook story was mostly a matter of going to La Vieja and The Gen and visiting a few superstores for a look around the toy department’s pretty standard offerings.
It took a couple of hours. Now, I could easily spend several days making the rounds. One major costume outlet, Toys R Us, has closed, but many more emporiums have arisen and those that have been here for awhile have expanded. ABC Party World is an almost all-Halloween store this year. Mesilla Valley Mall now has what amounts to its own three-store Halloween subdivison, in a cluster that features the Halloween Bootique, Spirit Halloween Superstore and Hot Topic (I must admit that I am now so old that it’s tough for me to distinguish some of their regular Goth gear from the official Halloween costumes). All the big superstores and several dollar, variety, discount and rug stores have huge Halloween sections.
Maybe it’s been creeping up for some time and it’s just hitting me now, but this year, the biggest costume stores seem to have more costumes and accessories for adults than for kids 12 and under.
When did Halloween become such a big deal and why? And when did adults start to take it all so personally and embrace it as a fiesta of their own?
Like most trends since World War II, I expect people to lay the blame at the feet (maybe clad, this month, in sequined ruby-red slippers or giant clown shoes) of my generation: the Baby Boomers.
But it’s the young adults — our kids — who are really going into full-tilt Halloween fiesta mode. Is it part of the whole trend of taking longer to grow up than previous generations? Is there something about life now that makes adults more eager to escape into alter egos and secret identities?
Or is it a healthy urge to celebrate life and explore alternative realities?
And speaking of alternative realities, the gore decor market seems to be blowing up. Literally. What’s with all the inflatables? People are snapping up animated and inflated items priced from $100 to $200 and more.
Maybe it’s the result of growing up with very impressive movie special effects. Every year things seem to get bigger, more animated, more elaborate, more realistic and more disgusting.
If I had any doubts that things have gone too far, 2007 is the year I’m officially calling it. There’s so much truly horrible stuff out there, I’m not sure exactly which gory masterpiece finally put it over the line for me. But my nomination is a fountain that features an anguished, screaming figure gushing blood from a torso severed at the waist. Ugh.
Have we become so desensitized by graphic violence in movies and the daily news that we need this kind of thing to get a reaction? Has real life become so scary that we need an ever-gorier annual fiesta as a kind of vaccination to prepare us for fresh horrors on the horizon?
Haven’t we been scared enough?
What do you think? Drop me a line, access my blog by going to www.lcsun-news.com, click on the Blogzone and then click on the Las Cruces Style icon or send me an e-mai at the address below.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
READ MORE ABOUT HALLOWEEN DECOR IN SATURDAY'S MI CASA SECTION
FOR INFO ON COSTUMES IN LAS CRUCES, SEE SUNDAY'S SUNLIFE COVER
And they aren’t alone. Americans will spend more than $5 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted in September, with the average person spending almost $65. Most of that will go, not for candy, but for decorating our homes and ourselves, including costumes for our kids, adults and even our pets.
Almost three-fourths of us will hand out treats, spending an average of about $20 for goodies, according to the survey, compared to almost $18 on decorations and more than $23 on costumes. Guess who will spend the most on costumes? The big bucks aren’t going to festoon those adorable little princesses, pirates and superheroes who show up on our doorstops. The big spenders are 18- to 24-year-olds who plan to spring for $35 for fantasy garb.
In the 1950s and ’60s, my prime trick or treating years, I don’t remember anyone much over 12 or 13 dressing up for Halloween. There were a few good sports — the odd teacher or scout leader and maybe the one or two people in the neighborhood who made a big deal of Halloween — who would dress up and maybe add some kind of door decoration in addition to the obligatory jack-’o-lantern. But you always felt they were doing it all in the line of duty, because they wanted kids to have a good time. I don’t remember adults or even older kids having their own parties and celebrations on Oct. 31.
All that has changed … a lot. Trust me, I know. I’ve been in the Halloween front lines for more than a decade now. With chronic costume aficionados (mostly adults) preparing for Halloween, Dia de los Muertos and RenFaire every year, dressing up is a big deal here. When I started in the mid-1990s, researching the annual costume outlook story was mostly a matter of going to La Vieja and The Gen and visiting a few superstores for a look around the toy department’s pretty standard offerings.
It took a couple of hours. Now, I could easily spend several days making the rounds. One major costume outlet, Toys R Us, has closed, but many more emporiums have arisen and those that have been here for awhile have expanded. ABC Party World is an almost all-Halloween store this year. Mesilla Valley Mall now has what amounts to its own three-store Halloween subdivison, in a cluster that features the Halloween Bootique, Spirit Halloween Superstore and Hot Topic (I must admit that I am now so old that it’s tough for me to distinguish some of their regular Goth gear from the official Halloween costumes). All the big superstores and several dollar, variety, discount and rug stores have huge Halloween sections.
Maybe it’s been creeping up for some time and it’s just hitting me now, but this year, the biggest costume stores seem to have more costumes and accessories for adults than for kids 12 and under.
When did Halloween become such a big deal and why? And when did adults start to take it all so personally and embrace it as a fiesta of their own?
Like most trends since World War II, I expect people to lay the blame at the feet (maybe clad, this month, in sequined ruby-red slippers or giant clown shoes) of my generation: the Baby Boomers.
But it’s the young adults — our kids — who are really going into full-tilt Halloween fiesta mode. Is it part of the whole trend of taking longer to grow up than previous generations? Is there something about life now that makes adults more eager to escape into alter egos and secret identities?
Or is it a healthy urge to celebrate life and explore alternative realities?
And speaking of alternative realities, the gore decor market seems to be blowing up. Literally. What’s with all the inflatables? People are snapping up animated and inflated items priced from $100 to $200 and more.
Maybe it’s the result of growing up with very impressive movie special effects. Every year things seem to get bigger, more animated, more elaborate, more realistic and more disgusting.
If I had any doubts that things have gone too far, 2007 is the year I’m officially calling it. There’s so much truly horrible stuff out there, I’m not sure exactly which gory masterpiece finally put it over the line for me. But my nomination is a fountain that features an anguished, screaming figure gushing blood from a torso severed at the waist. Ugh.
Have we become so desensitized by graphic violence in movies and the daily news that we need this kind of thing to get a reaction? Has real life become so scary that we need an ever-gorier annual fiesta as a kind of vaccination to prepare us for fresh horrors on the horizon?
Haven’t we been scared enough?
What do you think? Drop me a line, access my blog by going to www.lcsun-news.com, click on the Blogzone and then click on the Las Cruces Style icon or send me an e-mai at the address below.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
READ MORE ABOUT HALLOWEEN DECOR IN SATURDAY'S MI CASA SECTION
FOR INFO ON COSTUMES IN LAS CRUCES, SEE SUNDAY'S SUNLIFE COVER
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Big Enchilada, Polish Sausage & Sauerkraut Burritos and other Fiesta Food Treats
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — On Sunday, around 11 a.m., Robert Estrada and his family and friends will again gather at the Whole Enchilada Festival to make the world’s largest enchilada.
It will be the 27th time, cooking up the humungous treat for Estrada, whose achievement was officially certified in 2000 by “The Guinness Book of Records.”
His behemoth main course for the masses even inspired a side dish. This year, staffers from the produce department at Mountain View Market announced they would attempt to build the world's largest organic salad, a 500-pound tribute to green and healthy living.
Ah, fiesta food. Nothing expresses the unique creativity of Las Cruces style quite as eloquently as our festival cuisine. And giant enchiladas are just the beginning.
We’re always adding new and exciting multicultural entries to the mix. At this year’s Franciscan Festival of the Arts at Holy Cross Retreat, for instance, the Mesilla Valley Serra Club offered Polish sausage and sauerkraut burritos. Christmas cheeseburgers are pretty standard at many area fiestas. For newcomers, “Christmas” refers to a mixture of our favorite chiles. Our official New Mexico state question is, and I’m not making this up, “Red or green?” The answer, for those of us who like both red and green peppers and/or the sauces and salsa they inspire, is “Christmas.”
Corn also comes in Technicolor food forms in the Land of Enchantment. In addition to the standard sweet yellow stuff, roasted on the cob (great with lime-chile butter), New Mexico corn comes in red, white and blue and in cooked forms that range from tacos, enchiladas and burritos to popcorn. I once encountered an enterprising soul who tried to come up with natural patriotic popcorn, but the best he managed was a muddled mix of white and off-white kernels that were slightly blue-grayish and dingy pinkish-yellow. Maybe there has been progress on this front. If you stumble across any organic patriotic popcorn (no dyes or additives allowed) in your fiesta adventures, keep us posted.
But let’s get back to chiles, the basis for a lot of our distinctive festival cuisine and other cosmopolitan ways to chow down, Las Cruces style.
You still have to go to actual restaurants or shops for many of my all-time chile favorites, like Double Eagle’s green chile wontons, Caliche’s jalapeña sundaes, Teriakyi Chicken House’s green chile tempura and, of course, green chile chicken quiche — I’m particularly fond of the versions at The Shed and The Planet. Real men and strong women really DO eat quiche, especially if it’s packed with chiles.
And I have come upon some imaginative green chile fare at fairs, like chile fudge and green chile chocolate chip cookies one year at the Doña Ana Arts Council Renaissance ArtsFaire, the source of lots of imaginative multiethnic treats. Tortugas serves delicious, chile-infused albondigas every year after the pilgrimage and dancing at Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta.
I can’t remember which fiestas served them up, but I do have vivid memories of some other exotic goodies: green chile beer, green chile lemonade, red chile sausage on a stick, habañero ice cream...maybe you’ll rediscover them during this full-tilt fiesta season.
In the meantime, if you’re expecting a crowd for your own fiesta, I thought it would be nice to share the 2007 Whole Enchilada Fiesta recipes.
World’s Largest Organic Salad (the Mountain View Market produce crew hopes): 500 pounds of organic romaine, red and green leaf lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, broccoli and organic salad dressing.
Robert Estrada’s World’s Largest Enchilada: Make masa tortillas with 750 pounds of stone ground corn cooked in 175 gallons of vegetable oil. Make three giant layers of tortillas, each 10 and 1/2 feet in diameter. Assemble 175 pounds of grated cheese, 50 pounds of chopped onions and 75 gallons of savory red chile sauce and divide evenly between layers.
!Mucho gusto!
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — On Sunday, around 11 a.m., Robert Estrada and his family and friends will again gather at the Whole Enchilada Festival to make the world’s largest enchilada.
It will be the 27th time, cooking up the humungous treat for Estrada, whose achievement was officially certified in 2000 by “The Guinness Book of Records.”
His behemoth main course for the masses even inspired a side dish. This year, staffers from the produce department at Mountain View Market announced they would attempt to build the world's largest organic salad, a 500-pound tribute to green and healthy living.
Ah, fiesta food. Nothing expresses the unique creativity of Las Cruces style quite as eloquently as our festival cuisine. And giant enchiladas are just the beginning.
We’re always adding new and exciting multicultural entries to the mix. At this year’s Franciscan Festival of the Arts at Holy Cross Retreat, for instance, the Mesilla Valley Serra Club offered Polish sausage and sauerkraut burritos. Christmas cheeseburgers are pretty standard at many area fiestas. For newcomers, “Christmas” refers to a mixture of our favorite chiles. Our official New Mexico state question is, and I’m not making this up, “Red or green?” The answer, for those of us who like both red and green peppers and/or the sauces and salsa they inspire, is “Christmas.”
Corn also comes in Technicolor food forms in the Land of Enchantment. In addition to the standard sweet yellow stuff, roasted on the cob (great with lime-chile butter), New Mexico corn comes in red, white and blue and in cooked forms that range from tacos, enchiladas and burritos to popcorn. I once encountered an enterprising soul who tried to come up with natural patriotic popcorn, but the best he managed was a muddled mix of white and off-white kernels that were slightly blue-grayish and dingy pinkish-yellow. Maybe there has been progress on this front. If you stumble across any organic patriotic popcorn (no dyes or additives allowed) in your fiesta adventures, keep us posted.
But let’s get back to chiles, the basis for a lot of our distinctive festival cuisine and other cosmopolitan ways to chow down, Las Cruces style.
You still have to go to actual restaurants or shops for many of my all-time chile favorites, like Double Eagle’s green chile wontons, Caliche’s jalapeña sundaes, Teriakyi Chicken House’s green chile tempura and, of course, green chile chicken quiche — I’m particularly fond of the versions at The Shed and The Planet. Real men and strong women really DO eat quiche, especially if it’s packed with chiles.
And I have come upon some imaginative green chile fare at fairs, like chile fudge and green chile chocolate chip cookies one year at the Doña Ana Arts Council Renaissance ArtsFaire, the source of lots of imaginative multiethnic treats. Tortugas serves delicious, chile-infused albondigas every year after the pilgrimage and dancing at Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta.
I can’t remember which fiestas served them up, but I do have vivid memories of some other exotic goodies: green chile beer, green chile lemonade, red chile sausage on a stick, habañero ice cream...maybe you’ll rediscover them during this full-tilt fiesta season.
In the meantime, if you’re expecting a crowd for your own fiesta, I thought it would be nice to share the 2007 Whole Enchilada Fiesta recipes.
World’s Largest Organic Salad (the Mountain View Market produce crew hopes): 500 pounds of organic romaine, red and green leaf lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, broccoli and organic salad dressing.
Robert Estrada’s World’s Largest Enchilada: Make masa tortillas with 750 pounds of stone ground corn cooked in 175 gallons of vegetable oil. Make three giant layers of tortillas, each 10 and 1/2 feet in diameter. Assemble 175 pounds of grated cheese, 50 pounds of chopped onions and 75 gallons of savory red chile sauce and divide evenly between layers.
!Mucho gusto!
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Friday, September 21, 2007
Las Cruces Auditions for 'THE BURNING PLAIN"!!!
What: Open call for speaking roles in “The Burning Plain”
Needed: White boys ages 14 to 16; Hispanic men, ages 28 to 55 who can speak fluent Spanish; experienced Hispanic male actors ages 18 to 22; Hispanic women ages 38 to 43
When: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 29
Where: 221 N. Downtown Mall (next to Day’s Hamburgers) in Las Cruces
Bring: A headshot and/or photo and resumé if you have them
Note: All participants must be available to shoot in the Las Cruces area Nov. 4 through Dec. 18.
Future auditions
An open casting call for extras will be held in Las Cruces soon, probably in October.
Closer look
• About “The Burning Plain”
• Plot: “The Burning Plain” explores the mysterious connection between several characters separated by time and space: Mariana, a 16-year-old girl trying to put together the shattered lives of her parents in a Mexican border town; Sylvia, a woman in Portland who must undertake an emotional odyssey to make up for a sin from her past; Gina and Nick, a couple who must deal with an intense and clandestine love; and Maria, a young girl who helps her parents find redemption, forgiveness and love.
• Director: Guillermo Arriaga
• Star: Academy Award winner Charlize Theron
• Producers: Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald
• Executive producers: Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Charlize Theron, Alisa Tager, Ray Angelic and Marc Butan
Source: Producers of “The Burning Plain.”
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — It could be your chance to be a star...or at least land a speaking role in a major motion picture. The first round of Las Cruces auditions will be Sept. 29 for speaking roles in “The Burning Plain,” starring Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron and written and directed by “Babel” screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga. The film will be shot in and around Las Cruces from Nov. 5 through Dec. 21.
“I’ll only be doing a very limited open call and then inviting a few people back, then doing an appointment-only call for actors I have chosen,” said the film’s New Mexico casting director Kathryn Brink.
The production’s first Las Cruces auditions will be from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 29 at 221 N. Downtown Mall, next to Day’s Hamburgers, for the following speaking roles:
• White boys ages 14 to 16
• Hispanic men, ages 28 to 55 who can speak fluent Spanish
• Experienced Hispanic male actors age 18 to 22
• Hispanic women, ages 38 to 43
“Bring a headshot or other photo and resumé, if you have them,” Brink advised.
About 75 New Mexico crew members and 800 local principal actors and background talent will be hired for the film, according to the New Mexico Film Office.
“We want to let the public know that there will be a later casting call for all the background extras and many more people will be invited to participate. That will be the major casting call and that will be what most people will be qualified for. It will probably be in October, but no dates have been set yet. There is no e-mail or phone where people can ask questions or respond; unfortunately it just backs up our ability to cast,” said Brink, who stressed that all casting call announcements will be made through the media.
“Casting is underway in both Los Angeles and New Mexico,” Brink said.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Needed: White boys ages 14 to 16; Hispanic men, ages 28 to 55 who can speak fluent Spanish; experienced Hispanic male actors ages 18 to 22; Hispanic women ages 38 to 43
When: 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 29
Where: 221 N. Downtown Mall (next to Day’s Hamburgers) in Las Cruces
Bring: A headshot and/or photo and resumé if you have them
Note: All participants must be available to shoot in the Las Cruces area Nov. 4 through Dec. 18.
Future auditions
An open casting call for extras will be held in Las Cruces soon, probably in October.
Closer look
• About “The Burning Plain”
• Plot: “The Burning Plain” explores the mysterious connection between several characters separated by time and space: Mariana, a 16-year-old girl trying to put together the shattered lives of her parents in a Mexican border town; Sylvia, a woman in Portland who must undertake an emotional odyssey to make up for a sin from her past; Gina and Nick, a couple who must deal with an intense and clandestine love; and Maria, a young girl who helps her parents find redemption, forgiveness and love.
• Director: Guillermo Arriaga
• Star: Academy Award winner Charlize Theron
• Producers: Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald
• Executive producers: Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Charlize Theron, Alisa Tager, Ray Angelic and Marc Butan
Source: Producers of “The Burning Plain.”
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — It could be your chance to be a star...or at least land a speaking role in a major motion picture. The first round of Las Cruces auditions will be Sept. 29 for speaking roles in “The Burning Plain,” starring Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron and written and directed by “Babel” screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga. The film will be shot in and around Las Cruces from Nov. 5 through Dec. 21.
“I’ll only be doing a very limited open call and then inviting a few people back, then doing an appointment-only call for actors I have chosen,” said the film’s New Mexico casting director Kathryn Brink.
The production’s first Las Cruces auditions will be from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 29 at 221 N. Downtown Mall, next to Day’s Hamburgers, for the following speaking roles:
• White boys ages 14 to 16
• Hispanic men, ages 28 to 55 who can speak fluent Spanish
• Experienced Hispanic male actors age 18 to 22
• Hispanic women, ages 38 to 43
“Bring a headshot or other photo and resumé, if you have them,” Brink advised.
About 75 New Mexico crew members and 800 local principal actors and background talent will be hired for the film, according to the New Mexico Film Office.
“We want to let the public know that there will be a later casting call for all the background extras and many more people will be invited to participate. That will be the major casting call and that will be what most people will be qualified for. It will probably be in October, but no dates have been set yet. There is no e-mail or phone where people can ask questions or respond; unfortunately it just backs up our ability to cast,” said Brink, who stressed that all casting call announcements will be made through the media.
“Casting is underway in both Los Angeles and New Mexico,” Brink said.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Film Auditions
Still no word on place and specific times for Las Cruces auditions for "The Burning Plain," but casting people indicate it may be the weekend of Sept. 28-30. As soon as we get any information, I'll post it.
Magic Days in Las Cruces
LAS CRUCES — There’s a lot to see and do this time of year. Fiestas. Fairs. Art openings. Plays. Concerts. Games. Back to school.
And a lot to ponder. What will the new spaceport really look like, when it’s finished and embedded in the desert? And what about the new city hall and the new federal building?
How are things coming along on the Downtown Mall?
It’s the best time of year to check things out. Instead of stopping to smell the roses, it strikes me as a good time to do some low-key multitasking. Combine your workout — or at least part of it — with your own personal state-of-the-community assessment.
Take your daily walk around your own neighborhood and then head for someplace new, even if it’s just a neighborhood a mile or two away.
I realized it was time for a new regimen during a recent Sunday hike. I found myself counting steps, something I haven’t done since I was trying to figure out if I was anywhere close to what seems to be the new gold standard of 10,000 steps per day. This time, what inspired me was a documentary on the Titanic, which reported that the ill-fated ship was 880 feet long.
I started counting steps as I headed down a street with a clear sight line, trying not to lose count as I greeted neighborhood dogs along the way. At step 880, I looked back up the hill to the big yellow bulldozer parked where I’d started. That was one humungous ship, all right.
Then I counted patches where water line repair crews had torn up my relatively new street. There were at least 23 patches in just one block. I plan to compare that with other blocks in the region.
I’ve been trying to go a little earlier to the Saturday Las Cruces Farmers and Crafts Market. Going early improves your chances to get the best fruit and veggies and you can fit in a little hike before things get too crowded. It’s a nice opportunity to admire the Rio Grande Theatre showplace block and ponder the potential for the rest of the Downtown Mall, or Main Street Downtown, as it’s now officially known.
Expand your walk from the Branigan Library, past the construction sites for the new city hall and federal building and imagine what Las Cruces will look like in a few more years.
You might even uncover some interesting migration tales, like the wandering saguaro.
The formidable cactus that once dwelled on the grounds of Las Cruces City Hall has now moved to a corner of the Branigan Cultural Center. Last time I checked, it was still in rehab, supported by some cables and scaffolding, but it appears to be doing well. Apparently it’s a time when even ancient saguaros are happy about taking a walk around the block.
Mesilla is another fun place to check out. Start at the Mesilla Plaza and circle in any direction and you’re likely to be surprised at all the changes. Rigorous design guidelines have ensured that the new homes and galleries usually fit in nicely with the historic structures in the area, but those of us who have been ambling through the area for a couple of decades may miss some of the funky old vacant lots and crumbling old adobes.
Lalo Natividad has also taught me to hike with an artistic, historic or architectural theme in mind. He once took me on a tour to point out tile murals with religious themes in Mesilla.
Sometimes I look for things like colorful doors and picturesque gates.
While all this purposeful trekking keeps things interesting, there are times when it’s most rewarding to leave the iPod with the review CDs and the self-improvement or teach-yourself-Chinese lessons at home, along with any mission at all.
That time is magic day, a concept shared by my sister when I lived in sweltering South Florida. Magic day is the first time there’s a break in the heat and humidity, when the ocean breezes and cooling temperatures make ambling a delight instead of cruel and unusual punishment.
Here’s it’s more like magic season. It’s that time of year in spring or fall when it’s not too hot or too cool or too dry or too humid or too windy or too anything. When there’s the perfect ratio of lapis blue sky to fluffy clouds, when there’s a gentle breeze but no threat of sandblasting. When your routine layer of SPF lotion feels like it’s just right for you to feel good about absorbing a nourishing hit of Vitamin D.
It the time when ambling through high desert country is a reward in itself, just about the most perfect way to spend a beautiful fall day.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
And a lot to ponder. What will the new spaceport really look like, when it’s finished and embedded in the desert? And what about the new city hall and the new federal building?
How are things coming along on the Downtown Mall?
It’s the best time of year to check things out. Instead of stopping to smell the roses, it strikes me as a good time to do some low-key multitasking. Combine your workout — or at least part of it — with your own personal state-of-the-community assessment.
Take your daily walk around your own neighborhood and then head for someplace new, even if it’s just a neighborhood a mile or two away.
I realized it was time for a new regimen during a recent Sunday hike. I found myself counting steps, something I haven’t done since I was trying to figure out if I was anywhere close to what seems to be the new gold standard of 10,000 steps per day. This time, what inspired me was a documentary on the Titanic, which reported that the ill-fated ship was 880 feet long.
I started counting steps as I headed down a street with a clear sight line, trying not to lose count as I greeted neighborhood dogs along the way. At step 880, I looked back up the hill to the big yellow bulldozer parked where I’d started. That was one humungous ship, all right.
Then I counted patches where water line repair crews had torn up my relatively new street. There were at least 23 patches in just one block. I plan to compare that with other blocks in the region.
I’ve been trying to go a little earlier to the Saturday Las Cruces Farmers and Crafts Market. Going early improves your chances to get the best fruit and veggies and you can fit in a little hike before things get too crowded. It’s a nice opportunity to admire the Rio Grande Theatre showplace block and ponder the potential for the rest of the Downtown Mall, or Main Street Downtown, as it’s now officially known.
Expand your walk from the Branigan Library, past the construction sites for the new city hall and federal building and imagine what Las Cruces will look like in a few more years.
You might even uncover some interesting migration tales, like the wandering saguaro.
The formidable cactus that once dwelled on the grounds of Las Cruces City Hall has now moved to a corner of the Branigan Cultural Center. Last time I checked, it was still in rehab, supported by some cables and scaffolding, but it appears to be doing well. Apparently it’s a time when even ancient saguaros are happy about taking a walk around the block.
Mesilla is another fun place to check out. Start at the Mesilla Plaza and circle in any direction and you’re likely to be surprised at all the changes. Rigorous design guidelines have ensured that the new homes and galleries usually fit in nicely with the historic structures in the area, but those of us who have been ambling through the area for a couple of decades may miss some of the funky old vacant lots and crumbling old adobes.
Lalo Natividad has also taught me to hike with an artistic, historic or architectural theme in mind. He once took me on a tour to point out tile murals with religious themes in Mesilla.
Sometimes I look for things like colorful doors and picturesque gates.
While all this purposeful trekking keeps things interesting, there are times when it’s most rewarding to leave the iPod with the review CDs and the self-improvement or teach-yourself-Chinese lessons at home, along with any mission at all.
That time is magic day, a concept shared by my sister when I lived in sweltering South Florida. Magic day is the first time there’s a break in the heat and humidity, when the ocean breezes and cooling temperatures make ambling a delight instead of cruel and unusual punishment.
Here’s it’s more like magic season. It’s that time of year in spring or fall when it’s not too hot or too cool or too dry or too humid or too windy or too anything. When there’s the perfect ratio of lapis blue sky to fluffy clouds, when there’s a gentle breeze but no threat of sandblasting. When your routine layer of SPF lotion feels like it’s just right for you to feel good about absorbing a nourishing hit of Vitamin D.
It the time when ambling through high desert country is a reward in itself, just about the most perfect way to spend a beautiful fall day.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Auditions for "The Burning Plain"
Auditions
What: Open call for supporting roles in “The Burning Plain”
Needed: Hispanic men, ages 18 to 22; Hispanic girls, ages 11-13 (must speak fluent Spanish and English); white girls and boys, ages 8 to 15
When: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: 304 Washington St. S.E,, Nob Hill Center in Albuquerque, between Zuni Road and Central Avenue.
Note: All participants must be available to read on Saturday afternoon and must be available to shoot in the Las Cruces area Nov. 4 through Dec. 18.
Las Cruces casting calls
Open casting calls for both adult and children will be scheduled in Las Cruces soon, probably in late September. Casting directors will announce dates and places when arrangements are finalized.
Closer look
• About “The Burning Plain”
• Plot: “The Burning Plain” explores the mysterious connection between several characters separated by time and space: Mariana, a 16-year-old girl trying to put together the shattered lives of her parents in a Mexican border town; Sylvia, a woman in Portland who must undertake an emotional odyssey to make up for a sin from her past; Gina and Nick, a couple who must deal with an intense and clandestine love; and Maria, a young girl who helps her parents find redemption, forgiveness and love.
• Director: Guillermo Arriaga
• Star: Academy Award winner Charlize Theron
• Producers: Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald
• Executive producers: Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Charlize Theron, Alisa Tager, Ray Angelic and Marc Butan
Source: Producers of “The Burning Plain.”
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — The first New Mexico casting call will be held Saturday in Albuquerque for “The Burning Plain,” a new feature film written and directed by “Babel” screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and starring Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron.
But Las Cruces hopefuls won’t have to travel north.
“We plan to have a bigger casting call in Las Cruces since it’s our principal location. It will probably be the weekend of Sept. 28 and 29, and we’ll be announcing times and places soon. We’ll be casting at least a dozen other roles and will be concentrating more on Spanish speakers in the Southern part of the state. Tell people they can wait until we come down there,” Kathyn Brink, the production’s New Mexico casting director, said Wednesday.
Brink said casting will also take place in Los Angeles for the film, which will be shot in and around Las Cruces from Nov. 5 through Dec. 21.
The production’s first New Mexico open audition call will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at 304 Washington St. S.E. in Nob Hill Center in Albuquerque for the following:
• Hispanic men, ages 18 to 22
• Hispanic girls, ages 11 to 13, who must speak fluent Spanish and English
• White boys and girls, ages 8 to 15
Participants must be available to read on Saturday afternoon and must be available to shoot in the Las Cruces area Nov. 4 through Dec. 18.
About 75 New Mexico crew members and 800 local principal actors and background talent will be hired for the film, according to the New Mexico Film Office.
Producers plan to spend about $7 million in Las Cruces, the primary location for the film, said Jonathan Benson, director of the Creative Media Institute (CMI) at New Mexico State University.
Mark Medoff, artistic director of CMI, said the institute is looking forward to working with the film’s production company.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
What: Open call for supporting roles in “The Burning Plain”
Needed: Hispanic men, ages 18 to 22; Hispanic girls, ages 11-13 (must speak fluent Spanish and English); white girls and boys, ages 8 to 15
When: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: 304 Washington St. S.E,, Nob Hill Center in Albuquerque, between Zuni Road and Central Avenue.
Note: All participants must be available to read on Saturday afternoon and must be available to shoot in the Las Cruces area Nov. 4 through Dec. 18.
Las Cruces casting calls
Open casting calls for both adult and children will be scheduled in Las Cruces soon, probably in late September. Casting directors will announce dates and places when arrangements are finalized.
Closer look
• About “The Burning Plain”
• Plot: “The Burning Plain” explores the mysterious connection between several characters separated by time and space: Mariana, a 16-year-old girl trying to put together the shattered lives of her parents in a Mexican border town; Sylvia, a woman in Portland who must undertake an emotional odyssey to make up for a sin from her past; Gina and Nick, a couple who must deal with an intense and clandestine love; and Maria, a young girl who helps her parents find redemption, forgiveness and love.
• Director: Guillermo Arriaga
• Star: Academy Award winner Charlize Theron
• Producers: Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald
• Executive producers: Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Charlize Theron, Alisa Tager, Ray Angelic and Marc Butan
Source: Producers of “The Burning Plain.”
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — The first New Mexico casting call will be held Saturday in Albuquerque for “The Burning Plain,” a new feature film written and directed by “Babel” screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and starring Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron.
But Las Cruces hopefuls won’t have to travel north.
“We plan to have a bigger casting call in Las Cruces since it’s our principal location. It will probably be the weekend of Sept. 28 and 29, and we’ll be announcing times and places soon. We’ll be casting at least a dozen other roles and will be concentrating more on Spanish speakers in the Southern part of the state. Tell people they can wait until we come down there,” Kathyn Brink, the production’s New Mexico casting director, said Wednesday.
Brink said casting will also take place in Los Angeles for the film, which will be shot in and around Las Cruces from Nov. 5 through Dec. 21.
The production’s first New Mexico open audition call will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at 304 Washington St. S.E. in Nob Hill Center in Albuquerque for the following:
• Hispanic men, ages 18 to 22
• Hispanic girls, ages 11 to 13, who must speak fluent Spanish and English
• White boys and girls, ages 8 to 15
Participants must be available to read on Saturday afternoon and must be available to shoot in the Las Cruces area Nov. 4 through Dec. 18.
About 75 New Mexico crew members and 800 local principal actors and background talent will be hired for the film, according to the New Mexico Film Office.
Producers plan to spend about $7 million in Las Cruces, the primary location for the film, said Jonathan Benson, director of the Creative Media Institute (CMI) at New Mexico State University.
Mark Medoff, artistic director of CMI, said the institute is looking forward to working with the film’s production company.
S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com
Friday, August 31, 2007
Las Cruces Becomes An Art Mecca
By S. Derrickson Moore
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — It seemed like a good time for a Las Cruces Style review.
When the StoryCorps van came to town, Irene Oliver Lewis and I decided our contribution could be a state-of-the-Las Cruces-arts conversation.
This week, we took a trip down memory lane to the mid-90s, when she returned to her home town and I arrived at what I suspected would become my querencia, my soul’s haven.
Despite our diverse birth spots, (Southern New Mexico for Irene and Western Michigan for me), we had quite a bit in common. We’re both artists and writers. We’re both Baby Boomers with creative, artistic and articulate parents. Irene is a playwright whose “Dichos de mi Madre” has delighted audiences with touching and funny tales of her creative mom Cecilia. We’d both been artists-in-residence (Irene in Japan, and I was in Jamaica). We’ve both lived and worked all over the United States and in far-flung corners of the world.
And we both love Las Cruces.
Irene returned and I arrived at a very special time in local artistic history.
Las Cruces already had top notch theater groups, a Tony Award-winning playwright, Mark Medoff, in residence, some great galleries, writers, musicians, historians, a world-class used bookstore, Coas, and a symphony that had attracted international attention. Mariana Gabbi, who then headed the Las Cruces Symphony at NMSU, was the first American woman to conduct symphonies in both China and the former Soviet Republic. RenFaire and the Whole Enchilada Fiesta were going strong.
The year I arrived, 1994, we chocked up some notable firsts: the first ArtsHop and the first International Mariachi Conference and the beginnings of Dia de los Muertos fiestas. Irene and I remembered sitting in some of the early planning meetings.
We reminisced about lots of other things: the beginnings of the Border Book Festival, plays and film premieres, the efforts of people like Lalo Natividad, Richard Weeks, Preciliana Sandoval and others to bring back and infuse new energy into traditional celebrations on Mesilla’s Plaza, from Cinco de Mayo and Diez y Seis de Septiembre to Dio de los Muertos and Christmas Eve at the Plaza.
In the 1980s, when I lived in the City Different, I’d done several national magazine and newspaper features on Santa Fe style. In the 1990s, it seemed the world was ready for Las Cruces Style, so I started a column and a weekly artist profile for the Sun-News. I met Irene, then pioneering some innovative arts programs in the Las Cruces Public Schools, when I interviewed her for one of our first Artist of the Week features.
That was back when Court Youth Center was just a gleam in her eye. The first walk-through in the mid-1990s could have discouraged lesser souls. The ruins of Court Junior High had become a home to druggies and vagrants. But the building’s beautiful Pueblo Revival bones were there, along with the visions of a small, resourceful group of Las Crucens and others who came to help. There was a day in a limousine with Edward James Olmos, for one, who made the rounds of area schools and talked to kids about the ways arts and education had changed his life, and could change their lives too.
It’s still tough to believe the bustling center of activity that is Court and Alma d’arte High School for the Arts was that same unpromising ruin little more than a decade ago.
Just as unpromising was what one cynical reporter termed “the graveyard of high hopes:” the Downtown Mall. And after what seemed like endless meetings and cheerleading by the likes of Alice Peden, Heather Pollard and countless wistful citizens, the first arch has come down, the Rio Grande Theatre has been restored and a beautifully landscaped block is open to traffic.
I remembered what Don Dresp, then Branigan Library director, told me one day: “Remember that everything you do here can make a difference.”
We remembered souls who have come and gone, and in many cases returned again.
“A lot of baby boomers who were raised here are coming home again,” Irene noted and we philosophized about the rewards of growing up and living in a burgeoning art mecca.
We talked about the Spaceport and the Creative Media Institute, about problems and potentials, growing pains and great opportunities, about urban sprawl and la raza cosmica. About the future: of our city, our groups and ourselves.
The state of the arts is Las Cruces, we concluded, is downright exciting.
What do you think about the last decade here? Let us know
Sun-News reporter
LAS CRUCES — It seemed like a good time for a Las Cruces Style review.
When the StoryCorps van came to town, Irene Oliver Lewis and I decided our contribution could be a state-of-the-Las Cruces-arts conversation.
This week, we took a trip down memory lane to the mid-90s, when she returned to her home town and I arrived at what I suspected would become my querencia, my soul’s haven.
Despite our diverse birth spots, (Southern New Mexico for Irene and Western Michigan for me), we had quite a bit in common. We’re both artists and writers. We’re both Baby Boomers with creative, artistic and articulate parents. Irene is a playwright whose “Dichos de mi Madre” has delighted audiences with touching and funny tales of her creative mom Cecilia. We’d both been artists-in-residence (Irene in Japan, and I was in Jamaica). We’ve both lived and worked all over the United States and in far-flung corners of the world.
And we both love Las Cruces.
Irene returned and I arrived at a very special time in local artistic history.
Las Cruces already had top notch theater groups, a Tony Award-winning playwright, Mark Medoff, in residence, some great galleries, writers, musicians, historians, a world-class used bookstore, Coas, and a symphony that had attracted international attention. Mariana Gabbi, who then headed the Las Cruces Symphony at NMSU, was the first American woman to conduct symphonies in both China and the former Soviet Republic. RenFaire and the Whole Enchilada Fiesta were going strong.
The year I arrived, 1994, we chocked up some notable firsts: the first ArtsHop and the first International Mariachi Conference and the beginnings of Dia de los Muertos fiestas. Irene and I remembered sitting in some of the early planning meetings.
We reminisced about lots of other things: the beginnings of the Border Book Festival, plays and film premieres, the efforts of people like Lalo Natividad, Richard Weeks, Preciliana Sandoval and others to bring back and infuse new energy into traditional celebrations on Mesilla’s Plaza, from Cinco de Mayo and Diez y Seis de Septiembre to Dio de los Muertos and Christmas Eve at the Plaza.
In the 1980s, when I lived in the City Different, I’d done several national magazine and newspaper features on Santa Fe style. In the 1990s, it seemed the world was ready for Las Cruces Style, so I started a column and a weekly artist profile for the Sun-News. I met Irene, then pioneering some innovative arts programs in the Las Cruces Public Schools, when I interviewed her for one of our first Artist of the Week features.
That was back when Court Youth Center was just a gleam in her eye. The first walk-through in the mid-1990s could have discouraged lesser souls. The ruins of Court Junior High had become a home to druggies and vagrants. But the building’s beautiful Pueblo Revival bones were there, along with the visions of a small, resourceful group of Las Crucens and others who came to help. There was a day in a limousine with Edward James Olmos, for one, who made the rounds of area schools and talked to kids about the ways arts and education had changed his life, and could change their lives too.
It’s still tough to believe the bustling center of activity that is Court and Alma d’arte High School for the Arts was that same unpromising ruin little more than a decade ago.
Just as unpromising was what one cynical reporter termed “the graveyard of high hopes:” the Downtown Mall. And after what seemed like endless meetings and cheerleading by the likes of Alice Peden, Heather Pollard and countless wistful citizens, the first arch has come down, the Rio Grande Theatre has been restored and a beautifully landscaped block is open to traffic.
I remembered what Don Dresp, then Branigan Library director, told me one day: “Remember that everything you do here can make a difference.”
We remembered souls who have come and gone, and in many cases returned again.
“A lot of baby boomers who were raised here are coming home again,” Irene noted and we philosophized about the rewards of growing up and living in a burgeoning art mecca.
We talked about the Spaceport and the Creative Media Institute, about problems and potentials, growing pains and great opportunities, about urban sprawl and la raza cosmica. About the future: of our city, our groups and ourselves.
The state of the arts is Las Cruces, we concluded, is downright exciting.
What do you think about the last decade here? Let us know
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